BabyNameScore

Dennis

Dennis is distinctive.

87/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

  1. Pronunciation & Spelling

    Effortless

    A documented English pronunciation is on file: /ˈdɛn.ɪs/.

    91/100

  2. Everyday Use

    Low risk

    95/100

  3. Growing Up

    Strong lifetime fit

    Works comfortably across child and adult settings.

    82/100

  4. International Use

    Broad international fit

    Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.

    85/100

NAME DETAILS

CLOSE SPELLINGS
Denys
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
Denis
Dionysio / Dionisio
ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

As the usual English form of Denis/Dionysius, Dennis carries the name's ultimate link to the Greek god Dionysus, whose own name is traditionally connected to "Zeus" and "Nysa" (the place where, in myth, the god was raised) — a mythological association rather than a literal English-language meaning.

  1. Dionysius (Latinized Greek), via medieval French Denis. The name's medieval prominence in France and England is tied to Saint Denis, a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul and the first bishop of Paris, who became the patron saint of France; medieval legend holds that after his martyrdom by decapitation he picked up his own severed head and continued preaching. The name "was common in France during the Middle Ages, and it was imported by the Normans to England," where it was eventually standardized in the English-speaking world as "Dennis."
  2. Mythological and religious contextThe name ultimately derives from Dionysius, the Latinized form of the Greek god Dionysus's name, traditionally analyzed as combining "Zeus" and "Nysa" (a place associated with the god's mythical upbringing); Saint Denis (3rd century), the patron saint of France, is the historical Christian figure most closely tied to the name's medieval spread.
POPULARITY

Dennis over time

United States
#707RANK

Rank #707 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Uncommon in current U.S. usage. Ranked #707 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

CLOSE SPELLINGS
  • Denys
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
  • Denis (FR/RU/CZ/SK/SL/RO/HR/Albanian)
  • Dionysio / DionisioES
PRACTICAL LIFE

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

Short, phonetically simple, and easy for a child to say and spell, with the friendly diminutive Denny available for casual, childhood-register use.

INTO ADULTHOOD

Reads as classic, unremarkable, and fully professional-register for an adult man — a long-established mid-20th-century English name with no particular trend edge left, since it peaked generations ago.

Cultural Footprint

TRACEABLE ORIGIN
  1. Saint Denis3rd-century missionary to Gaul, first bishop of Paris, patron saint of France
  2. Denis Diderot (1713-1784)French philosopher and encyclopedist

More about Dennis

FORMALITY

Dennis functions as the standard formal form in English; Den and Denny serve as informal short forms.

EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Dennis is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

A documented English pronunciation is on file. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK

See how it works with a surname.

Dennis