Denis is a moderately popular boys' name in England & Wales, ranking #274 in 2019 with 176 recorded births. This places Denis in the top 5% of ranked UK boys' names for the year. Its actual usage is classified as Moderately Popular. The name reached its all-time peak in 2017 with 193 births ranking #270. Since 1996, the popularity has increased by 780.0%. In 2019, approximately 1 in every 1,726 boys born was named Denis. FALLING Recent data shows the name is currently falling.
Denis is a continental form of Dennis and ultimately comes from a Greek name meaning "devoted to Dionysus". It feels traditional and slightly more European in flavour than Dennis.
The name spread through Christian Europe partly because of Saint Denis, the patron saint of France. That saintly connection helped separate it in feeling from its older pagan root.