Boys' name · since 1880
Denis
Denis has 20,733 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1952 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #827 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,708 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,733
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Denis is the #1708 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 20,733 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Denis recorded 20,733 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1708 nationally today, ahead of 88% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #827 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,708 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 20,733 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Denis ranks #827 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,708 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 20,733 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #827 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,708 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,733
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Denis's 20,733 recorded births place it above 98.18% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Denis compares
20,733 Top 6% higher than 94% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Denis's all-time total is 56x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Denis | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,733 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 618 | 34 | 22,252 |
Denis's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Denis splits its recorded history at 1955: 55% of all births land in the more recent half, 45% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1891 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1952 peak of 618 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Denis popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1952)
- 618
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Denis popularity over time - girls
873 total births recorded since 1938 (Denis as girls' name)
Denis by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (4,953 births, 24% of the file).
1950s was Denis's strongest decade.
4,953 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Denis births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 81
1880s
81 births
- 1890s 68
1890s
68 births
- 1900s 55
1900s
55 births
- 1910s 300
1910s
300 births
- 1920s 616
1920s
616 births
- 1930s 1,648
1930s
1,648 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,713 births
- 1950s
1950s
4,953 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,755 births
- 1970s 1,398
1970s
1,398 births
- 1980s 1,025
1980s
1,025 births
- 1990s 1,062
1990s
1,062 births
- 2000s 1,365
2000s
1,365 births
- 2010s 1,094
2010s
1,094 births
- 2020s 600
2020s
600 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 4,953 births (24% of all-time use).
How Denis compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Denis's total volume
Denis by state
Where Denis concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 3,667 | 17.7% |
| #2 | California | | 1,676 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 1,402 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,095 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 951 | 4.6% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 743 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 699 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 636 | 3.1% |
3,667 of 20,733 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Denis appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Denis? ▼
Where does Denis sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Denis most popular? ▼
Where is Denis most popular? ▼
How long has the name Denis been used? ▼
What names are similar to Denis? ▼
What to do with Denis's data
- Denis's decade-level peak was the 1950s (4,953 total births); usage has since declined to 600 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Deniss (3,667 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Denis
Nearby Names Like Denis
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Denis
Compare Denis side by side: Denis vs Dennis Denis vs Denver Denis vs Denny
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Denis
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Denis: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1952)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Denis draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.