Boys' name · peaked in 1946
Dennis name popularity since 1925
612,827 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Dennis. Half of them were born in 1954 or earlier, so the typical Dennis is about 72 years old in 2026. Dennis peaked in 1946 as the #17 name for boys, and it ranked #707 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 612,827
- Named Dennis, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #707
- for boys in 2025 (381 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 2,615 girls · 610,212 boys
- Most popular in
- Iowa
- 2.40× its national share
Peak year is the year Dennis made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Dennis births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1952. Measured as a share of all babies, Dennis peaked in 1946.
- Fastest rise: Between 1937 and 1942, Dennis became 3.2× more common, from 1 in 338 baby boys to 1 in 104.
- Steepest fall: Between 1952 and 1957, its share of baby boys fell by 38%, from 1 in 79 to 1 in 128.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Dennis's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Dennis.
Decade by decade
Babies named Dennis in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 56 | 4,537 | – |
| 1930s | 141 | 26,366 | #72 |
| 1940s | 460 | 162,114 | #19 |
| 1950s | 518 | 204,267 | #23 |
| 1960s | 421 | 94,984 | #44 |
| 1970s | 360 | 50,552 | #59 |
| 1980s | 249 | 30,463 | #103 |
| 1990s | 169 | 18,101 | #185 |
| 2000s | 176 | 10,445 | #316 |
| 2010s | 41 | 5,977 | #494 |
| 2020–25 | 24 | 2,406 | #707 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
57.2% of babies named Dennis from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Dennis is most popular
The index compares Dennis's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Dennis.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 2.40× | 18,784 |
| South Dakota | 2.19× | 4,308 |
| North Dakota | 2.18× | 4,226 |
| Wisconsin | 1.86× | 22,526 |
| Nebraska | 1.69× | 7,293 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Dennis and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis (this page) | 610,212 | 1946 |
| Denis | 19,978 | 1952 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Dennis's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Dennis.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Dennis (1946).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data