Dennis - name meaning and origin

The boy's name Dennis \d(en)-nis\ is pronounced DEN-iss. It is of Greek and English origin, and its meaning is "follower of Dionysius". Also variant of Dionysius. Mythology: Dionysius is the Greek god of wine, responsible for the growth of the vines in spring and the originator of winemaking; he is equivalent to the Roman god Bacchus. Biblical: a judge of Athens who was converted to Christianity by the apostle Paul. Basketball player Dennis Rodman; actors Dennis Quaid, Dennis Christopher, Dennis Hopper, Dennis Franz, Denis Leary, Dennis Haysbert; sailor Dennis Conner.

Dennis has 17 variant forms: Den, Denies, Denis, Dennes, Dennet, Denney, Dennie, Dennison, Denny, Dennys, Denys, Deon, Dion, Dionisio, Dionysius, Dionysus and Diot.

For more information, see also related names Artemas, Denmark and Tyson.

Baby names that sound like Dennis are Teunis, Deonys and Tannis.

Dennis is a very popular male first name and a very popular surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the boy's name Dennis. Compare Dennis with related baby names.