How common is the surname Dennis?

78,482 people in the United States had the surname Dennis in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,934 Americans. It ranked 409th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Dennis?

Sandy Dennis, American actress (1937–1992), followed by Ron Dennis.

Where is the surname Dennis most common?

Wikidata records people named Dennis in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

How do you pronounce Dennis?

Dennis is /ˈdɛnɪs/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Dennis getting more or less common?

More common. 74,784 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 78,482 in 2010, up 4.9%.

Is Dennis also a first name?

Yes. Dennis is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Dennis

A French patronymic surname, carried by 78,482 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈdɛnɪs/ 2 syllables Soundex D520 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Dennis is more common than 99.7% of them.

Origin

French origin

From Middle English Denis, from Old French saint's name Denis, brought to England by Normans; from Latin Dionysius, a masculine name literally meaning “follower of (the wine god) Dionysus”.

Dennis is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 78,482 people named Dennis in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,934 Americans. That is up 4.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 74,784.

#409

rank among US surnames

78,482

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.9%

change since 2000 (was #384)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#400	Higgins	79,803	3,869
#401	Aguirre	79,517	3,883
#402	Lin	79,508	3,883
#403	Cummings	79,316	3,893
#404	Chandler	79,186	3,899
#405	Sharp	78,990	3,909
#406	Barber	78,848	3,916

Who is named Dennis

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

66% of people named Dennis identified as white (not Hispanic), 28% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.9% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 66%
Black (not Hispanic) 28%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.9%
Two or more races 2.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Denniss

18 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Sandy Dennis
American actress (1937–1992)
Ron Dennis
British businessman, born 1947
Rohan Dennis
Australian racing cyclist, born 1990
Clare Dennis
Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist (1916–1971)
Gabrielle Dennis
American actress, born 1978
Olive Dennis
American engineer (1885-1957)
Hugh Dennis
British comedian, born 1962
Roy L. Dennis
American boy with a rare disorder, 1961–1978
Matt Dennis
American singer, pianist, band leader, arranger, and writer of music (1914–2002)
C. J. Dennis
Australian poet (1876–1938)
Nick Dennis
American actor (1904-1980)
RayJ Dennis
American basketball player (born 2001)

Notable Denniss come mostly from the United States (12), Australia (4) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Denis
Denys

Surnames that sound like Dennis

Dennis has the Soundex code D520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D520.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Dennis come from?: From Middle English Denis, from Old French saint's name Denis, brought to England by Normans; from Latin Dionysius, a masculine name literally meaning “follower of (the wine god) Dionysus”.
How common is the surname Dennis?: 78,482 people in the United States had the surname Dennis in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,934 Americans. It ranked 409th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Dennis?: In the 2010 Census, 66% of people named Dennis identified as white (not Hispanic), and 28% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Dennis?: Sandy Dennis, American actress (1937–1992), followed by Ron Dennis.
Where is the surname Dennis most common?: Wikidata records people named Dennis in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Dennis?: Dennis is /ˈdɛnɪs/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Dennis?: Dennis is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Dennis getting more or less common?: More common. 74,784 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 78,482 in 2010, up 4.9%.
What are other spellings of Dennis?: Denis and Denys.
Is Dennis also a first name?: Yes. Dennis is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.