Total births
15,417
Boys' name · since 1889
Denny
Denny has 15,417 recorded births since 1889 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4326
- among boys today
- 15,417
- born since 1889
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other boys
15,417 babies have been named Denny since 1889, making it today's #4326 boys' name.
Denny has 15,417 recorded births among boys since 1889, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4326 as of the latest data, more common than 70% of boys, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1889 to 2025.
- #4326 among boys today
- 15,417 born since 1889
- 1940s peak decade
- 70% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Denny is currently the #4326 boys' name in America, more common than 70% of boys - 15,417 born since 1889, peaking in the 1940s.
- #4326
- among boys today
- 15,417
- born since 1889
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other boys
Denny vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4326
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 70% of names given to boys today.
1940s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Denny was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
439 babies were named Denny in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Denny compares
15,417 Top 7% higher than 93% of 14,294 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
Denny's all-time total is 42x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Denny | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,417 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 439 | 23 | 22,252 |
Denny's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Denny splits its recorded history at 1964: 43% of all births land in the more recent half, 57% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1889 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1947 peak of 439 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Denny at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1947
Current rank
#4,326
Active since
1889
Denny popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1889–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 439
- Annual births at peak, across 137 years of records
Denny popularity over time - girls
402 total births recorded since 1926 (Denny as girls' name)
Denny by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Denny's strongest decade.
3,011 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Denny births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 11
1890s
11 births
- 1900s 26
1900s
26 births
- 1910s 157
1910s
157 births
- 1920s 458
1920s
458 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,250 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,011 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,693 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,447 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,942 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,223 births
- 1990s 895
1990s
895 births
- 2000s 707
2000s
707 births
- 2010s 439
2010s
439 births
- 2020s 153
2020s
153 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 3,011 births (20% of all-time use).
How Denny 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 Denny's total volume
Denny vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Denny by state
Where Denny concentrates geographically, total births since 1889
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,688 | 10.9% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 1,002 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 730 | 4.7% |
| #4 | Indiana | | 662 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 563 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 499 | 3.2% |
| #7 | New York | | 491 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 465 | 3.0% |
California share of Denny's total US births 10.9%
Even split
1,688 of 15,417 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Denny appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Denny? ▼
15,417 babies have been named Denny since 1889. It currently ranks #4326 among boys. The peak year was 1947 with 439 births.
When was Denny most popular? ▼
Denny was most popular in the 1940s decade with 3,011 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Denny most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Denny are California (1,688 births), Ohio (1,002 births), Texas (730 births).
How long has the name Denny been used? ▼
Denny has been recorded in Social Security data since 1889, spanning 137 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Denny? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dennis, Denis, Denver, Denzel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Denny's data
- Denny's decade-level peak was the 1940s (3,011 total births); usage has since declined to 153 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Dennys (1,688 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Denny
Nearby Names Like Denny
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Denny
Dennis Boy
#708 621,000 births
Denis Boy
#1641 20,733 births
Denver Boy
#488 19,178 births
Denzel Boy
#1026 11,738 births
Denton Boy
#3988 5,143 births
Compare Denny side by side: Denny vs Dennis Denny vs Denis Denny vs Denver
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Denny
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1889–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Denny: #4326 Boys' Name - 15,417 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/denny. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Denny 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 June 2026.