Denis is a distinctive boys' name in United States, ranking #1192 in 2001 with 114 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 2006 with 158 births ranking #1107. Since 1996, the popularity has increased by 11.8%. In 2001, approximately 1 in every 17,042 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.