# Denise (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/denise/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | French |
| Meaning | “follower of dionysus” |
| Pronunciation | /dəˈniːs/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Denni |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 374,789 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,367 / 373,422 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 444, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From French Denise, from Latin Dionȳsia (feminine form of Dionȳsius, a male name of Ancient Greek origin meaning “follower of Dionysus”). Dionysus is the mythological Greek god of wine responsible for growth of the vines and the originator of winemaking. Doublet of Dionysia.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 473 | 610 |
| 2012 | 411 | 685 |
| 2013 | 359 | 757 |
| 2014 | 359 | 780 |
| 2015 | 270 | 997 |
| 2016 | 210 | 1,188 |
| 2017 | 217 | 1,143 |
| 2018 | 239 | 1,067 |
| 2019 | 162 | 1,384 |
| 2020 | 307 | 877 |
| 2021 | 192 | 1,225 |
| 2022 | 165 | 1,389 |
| 2023 | 151 | 1,462 |
| 2024 | 105 | 1,900 |
| 2025 | 123 | 1,677 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 21 | 2,584 |
| 1988 | 14 | 3,568 |
| 1989 | 19 | 3,121 |
| 1990 | 18 | 3,342 |
| 1991 | 11 | 4,843 |
| 1992 | 18 | 3,487 |
| 1993 | 12 | 4,783 |
| 1994 | 12 | 4,856 |
| 1995 | 9 | 6,037 |
| 1996 | 5 | 9,350 |
| 1997 | 6 | 8,396 |
| 2000 | 6 | 9,386 |
| 2001 | 11 | 6,120 |
| 2002 | 6 | 9,669 |
| 2021 | 5 | 12,592 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14 | 1,903 |
| 2012 | 17 | 1,720 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4,739 |
| 2014 | 4 | 4,684 |
| 2015 | 8 | 2,945 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,763 |
| 2017 | 10 | 2,502 |
| 2018 | 6 | 3,518 |
| 2019 | 13 | 2,040 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4,535 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5,581 |
| 2022 | 7 | 3,148 |
| 2023 | 6 | 3,598 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4,843 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4,867 |

## In other languages

- Czech: Denisa
- French: Denise
- Italian: Dionisia
- Portuguese: Dionísia
- Spanish: Dionisia
- Swedish: Denise

## People named Denise

- Denise Richards, American actress
- Denise Crosby, American actress
- Denise Levertov, British-American poet (1923-1997)
- Denise Lewis, British athlete
- Denise Ho, Canada - Hong Kong singer and social activist
- Denise Herrmann-Wick, German cross-country skier and biathlete
- Denise Scott Brown, American architect (born 1931)
- Marie-Denise Villers, French painter (1774-1821)
- Denise Mina, British crime writer and playwright
- Denise Bronzetti, Captain Regent, head of government for San Marino
- Denise Alexander, American actress
- Denise Nickerson, American actress (1957-2019)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.