Dennis
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is sometimes said to be derived from the Greek Dios (Διός, "of Zeus") and Nysos or Nysa (Νῦσα), where the young god was raised. Dionysus (or Dionysos; also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology and associated with the Italic Liber), the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent influences. He is viewed as the promoter of civilization, a lawgiver, and a lover of peace—as well as the patron deity of both agriculture and the theatre. Dionysus is a god of mystery religious rites, such as those practised in honour of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis near Athens.
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius.
The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is sometimes said to be derived from the Greek Dios (Διός, "of Zeus") and Nysos or Nysa (Νῦσα), where the young god was raised. Dionysus (or Dionysos; also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology and associated with the Italic Liber), the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent influences. He is viewed as the promoter of civilization, a lawgiver, and a lover of peace—as well as the patron deity of both agriculture and the theatre.
Dionysus is a god of mystery religious rites, such as those practised in honour of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis near Athens. In the Thracian mysteries, he wears the "bassaris" or fox-skin, symbolizing new life. (See also Maenads.)
A mediaeval Latinised form of the Anglo-Norman surname Le Denys was Dacus, which correctly meant Dacian, but when the Vikings were about was often used to mean "Danish" or "The Dane". The name became modernised as Denys, then later as Dennis.
Alternative forms and spellings of the name include Denis, Denys, Dennys, Denish, Deon, Deonne, Deonte, and Dion, Dionice. Diminutive forms include Den, Dennoh, Deno, Denny, Deny and Deen.
The name Sydenie (alternate spellings: Sydney or Sidney) may derive from a village in Normandy called Saint-Denis. A medieval diminutive was Dye, from which the names Dyson and Tyson are derived.Dennis is a very popular English, Irish and Danish name, common throughout the English-speaking world, and a very popular French name, common throughout the Francophone world. It is also common as a  German, Italian, Dutch, Croatian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian, Brazilian, Bosnian, and Albanian name.
Dionizy is the Polish version of the name, while Dionigi and Dionisio are the Italian versions of the name. The Irish name Donnchadh is sometimes anglicised as Denis, but has a different origin and is in fact related to the names Duncan and Donagh. Feminine versions of the name include: Denise, Denisa, Deni, Denice, Deniece, Dione, and Dionne.

Variants
Dānnísī (丹尼斯): Chinese
Dénes, Dienes, Gyenis, Gyenes: Hungarian
Denis: Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian (Денис), Croatian, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Lithuanian, Macedonian (Денис), Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian (Денис), Serbo-Croatian (also Денис), Slovak, Slovene
Deniseu (데니스): Korean
Deniss: Latvian
Denisu (デニス): Japanese
Denijs: Middle Dutch
Deniz: Turkish (actual meaning is sea) A common male and female Turkish name, etymologically not related to "Dennis", but based on the Turkish word for "sea": 'deniz'.[1]
Dênis: Portuguese (Brazilian)
Dennis: Danish, Dutch, English, German, Norwegian, Swedish
Denny: English
Denys (Денис): Ukrainian
Dinis, Diniz, Dionísio: Portuguese
Dion: English, French (medieval diminutive), Greek (diminutive: Δίων)
Dionigi: Italian
Dionís: Catalan
Dionise, Dionisie: Romanian
Dionisije (Дионисије): Serbian
Dionisio: Italian, Spanish
Dionisos (Դիոնիսոս): Armenian
Dionizy; Dionizjusz (archaic): Polish
Dionysios (Διονύσιος): Greek
Dionýz: Slovak
Diviš: Czech
Donncha: Irish
Dzianis (Дзяніс): Belarusian
Genis (Генис): Udmurt
Tõnis: Estonian

People with the given name Dennis
Common combinations with given name Dennis
A-E
Dennis Aase (1942–2023), American race car driver
Dennis Albaugh (born 1949/50), American billionaire, founder and chairman of Albaugh LLC
Dennis Alexio (born 1959), American kickboxer
Dennis Aogo (born 1987), German footballer
Dennis Barth (1951–1978), Jamaican gangster
Dennis Bergkamp (born 1969), Dutch footballer
Dennis Blake (born 1970), Jamaican track and field athlete
Dennis C. Bottorff (born 1944), American business executive.
Dennis Brain (1921–1957), English virtuoso horn player
Dennis Brinkmann (born 1978), German footballer and manager
Dennis Brunod (born 1978), Italian ski mountaineer and sky-runner
Dennis Buschening (born 1991), German-Thai professional footballer
Dennis Cagara (born 1985), Danish footballer
Dennis Chambers (born 1959), American drummer
Dennis Clifford (born 1992), American basketball player
Dennis Cole (1940–2009), American actor
Dennis Coles (born 1970), American rapper known as Ghostface Killah
Dennis Daley (born 1996), American football player
Dennis Danell (1961–2000), guitarist with the band Social Distortion
Dennis Daugaard (born 1953), American politician
Dennis Day (1942–2018), American murder victim
Dennis Delane (died 1750), Irish actor
Dennis DeYoung (born 1947), lead singer and keyboardist for pop music group Styx
Dennis Diekmeier (born 1989), German footballer
Dennis A. Dougherty (born 1952), American professor of chemistry
Dennis Eckersley (born 1954), American baseball player
Dennis Eilhoff (born 1982), German footballer
Dennis Endras (born 1985), German ice hockey goaltender
Dennis Erickson (born 1947), American football head coach

F-K
Dennis Farina (1944–2013), American character actor
Dennis Fentie (1950–2019), Canadian politician
Dennis Ferrera (born 1980), Honduran footballer
Dennis Foggia (born 2001), Italian motorcycle rider
Dennis Franks (1953–2021), American football player
Dennis Franz (born 1944), American actor
Dennis Frederiksen (1951–2014), American singer
Dennis Gabor (1900–1979), Hungarian electrical engineer and inventor
Dennis Gansel (born 1973), German film director
Dennis Gardeck (born 1994), American football player
Dennis Gentenaar (born 1975), Dutch footballer
Dennis Gile (born 1981), American football player
Dennis González (1954–2022), American jazz musician, poet and visual artist
Dennis Green (1949–2016), American football head coach
Dennis Grote (born 1986), German footballer
Dennis Hapugalle (1930–2000), Sri Lankan Sinhala army brigadier
Dennis Hastert (born 1942), American politician
Dennis Hauger (born 2003), Norwegian racing driver
Dennis Havrilla (born 1987), American football player
Dennis Hayden (actor) (born 1952), American actor
Dennis Haysbert (born 1954), American actor
Dennis Hopper (1936–2010), American actor, filmmaker and artist
Dennis Houston (born 1999), American football player
Dennis Johnson (1954–2007), American basketball player
Dennis Joseph (1957–2021), Malayalam scriptwriter and director
Dennis Kelly (born 1970), British writer and producer
Dennis Kipruto Kimetto (born 1984), Kenyan long-distance runner
Dennis Kramer (1992–2023), German-American basketball player
Dennis Kruppke (born 1980), German footballer
Dennis Kucinich (born 1946), American politician

L-R
Dennis Law (born 1963), Hong Kong film director
Dennis Lennon (1918–1991), British architect and interior designer
Dennis Lillee (born 1949), Australian cricketer
Dennis Lisk (born 1977), German rapper known as Denyo
Dennis Lo (born 1963), Hong Kong molecular biologist
Dennis Lundy (born 1972), American football player
Dennis Lynds, pseudonym of Michael Collins (American author) (1924–2005)
Dennis Lyxzén (born 1972), Swedish musician
Dennis Miller (born 1953), American comedian and talk show host
Dennis Muilenburg (born 1964), American businessman, CEO of Boeing
Dennis Nielsen (born 1947), American colonel and politician
Dennis Nilsen (1945–2018), Scottish serial killer
Dennis Oli (born 1984), English footballer
Dennis Patera (born 1945), American football player
Dennis Paul (fl. 2010s–2020s), American politician
Dennis Prager (born 1948), American radio host
Dennis Price (1915–1973), English actor
Dennis Quaid (born 1954), American actor
Dennis Rader (born 1945), American serial killer
Dennis Ritchie (1941–2011), American computer scientist
Dennis Rodman (born 1961), American basketball player
Dennis Rommedahl (born 1978), Danish footballer
Dennis Rudolph (born 1979), German conceptual artist

S-Z
Dennis Santana (born 1996), Dominican professional baseball pitcher
Dennis Sarfate (born 1981), American baseball player
Dennis Schröder (born 1993), German basketball player
Dennis Schulp (born 1978), Dutch footballer
Dennis Seidenberg (born 1981), German ice hockey player
Dennis Souza (born 1980), Brazilian footballer
Dennis Stewart (basketball) (born 1947), American professional basketball player
Dennis Stewart (judoka) (born 1960), British judoka
Dennis Cleveland Stewart (1947–1994), American actor and dancer
Dennis Taylor (born 1949), Northern Irish snooker player
Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas (1951–2021), founding member of the band Kool & the Gang
Dennis Tito (born 1940), American engineer, multimillionaire and space tourist
Dennis To (born 1981), Hong Kong martial artist and actor
Dennis Trillo (born 1981), Filipino actor
Dennis Tufano (born 1946), American singer
Dennis Uy (born 1973), Chinese-Filipino businessman
Dennis van der Geest (born 1975), Dutch judoka
Dennis Waterman (1948–2022), English actor and singer
Dennis Weaver (1924–2006), American actor
Dennis Wheatley (1897–1977), English author
Dennis A. Wicker (born 1952), American lawyer and politician
Dennis Williams (born 1965), American basketball player
Dennis Wilson (1944–1983), American musician, co-founder of The Beach Boys
Dennis Wise (born 1966), English footballer and manager
Dennis Zent (born 1948), American politician
Dennis Ziadie (1946–1986), Jamaican footballer
Dennis Ziegenhorn (born 1947), American politician
Dennis Zine (born 1947), American politician
Dennis Zuill (born 1978), Bermudian footballer

Fictional characters
Dennis Blunden, main character from Head of the Class
Dennis Creevey, minor character from Harry Potter
Dennis Finch, main character from Just Shoot Me
Dennis Lapman, character from Final Destination 5
Dennis Loughran, aka Denisovich, from the 2015 animated sequel film Hotel Transylvania 2 and its two sequels Hotel Transylvania 3: Monster Vacation and Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania is the young vampire/human hybrid son of vampire Mavis and human Johnathon.
Dennis Nedry, character from Jurassic Park
Dennis Reynolds, main character from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Dennis, Stanley's talking pet goldfish in the Playhouse Disney animated show Stanley
Dennis Tanner, character on Coronation Street from its first episode in 1960 until 2014.
Dennis the Hitman, is Plankton's bounty hunter and the secondary main villain from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
Dennis the Diesel, minor character from Thomas and Friends
Dennis, character from Far Cry 3
Dennis, the title character in the 2006 film Love Belongs to Everyone (released in Belgium as Dennis van Rita), played by Matthias Schoenaerts
Dennis the Menace (UK comics) in The Beano
Dennis the Menace (U.S. comics), a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip whose eponymous protagonist is named Dennis Mitchell
Dennis the Menace (film) (released in the United Kingdom as Dennis), a 1993 live-action American family film based on the comic strip
Dennis the Peasant, minor character from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Dennis Duffy, a minor character from 30 Rock
"Phantom Dennis", Cordelia Chase's deceased roommate on Angel
Dennis "Cutty" Wise, character on the HBO drama The Wire

People with the surname Dennis
A-L
Aubrey Dennis (born 1929), South African cricketer
Bill Dennis (born 1935), American NASCAR driver
Bo Dennis, fictional star of Lost Girl
C. J. Dennis (1876–1938), Australian poet
Carl Dennis (born 1939), American poet and educator
Carolyn Dennis (born 1954), American singer and actor
Cathy Dennis (born 1969), English singer-songwriter, record producer and actress
Cecil Dennis (1931–1980), Liberian political figure who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
Charles Dennis (born 1946), Canadian actor, playwright, director and screenwriter
Cheri Dennis (born 1979), American singer
Clare Dennis (1916–1971), Australian breaststroke swimmer
David W. Dennis (1912–1999), American politician
Derek Dennis (born 1988), American football player
Diana Dennis (born 1951), American female bodybuilder
Eddie Dennis (born 1986), Welsh professional wrestler
Elias Smith Dennis (1812–1894), American lawyer, politician and soldier
Elizabeth Salisbury Dennis (born 1943), Australian plant molecular biologist
Emmanuel Dennis (born 1997), Nigerian football player
Eugene Dennis (1905–1961), American politician and leader of the Communist Party USA
Everette Dennis (fl. 2010s), American scholar
Felix Dennis (1947–2014), English magazine publisher and philanthropist
Ferdinand Dennis (born 1956), Jamaican-born writer, broadcaster, journalist
Franklyn Dennis (born 1947), Canadian cricketer
Gabriel Lafayette Dennis (1896–1954), Liberian politician
Geoffrey Dennis (1892–1963), English writer
George Dennis (disambiguation), multiple people
Hershel Dennis (born 1984), American football player
Hugh Dennis (born 1962), English actor, comedian, writer
Jack Dennis (born 1931), American electrical engineer and computer scientist
Jake Dennis (born 1995), British Formula E driver
James Dennis (disambiguation), multiple people
John Dennis (disambiguation), multiple people
Kristian Dennis (born 1990), English footballer
Lawrence Dennis (1893–1977), American diplomat, consultant and author
Les Dennis (born 1953), English comedian and actor
Littleton Dennis Jr. (1765–1833), associate justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals
Littleton Purnell Dennis (1786–1834), American politician

M-Z
Matt Dennis (1914–2002), American singer and bandleader
Monika Larsen Dennis (born 1963), Swedish sculptor, filmmaker
Morgan Dennis (1892–1960), American illustrator and author
N. Dennis (1929–2013), Indian politician
Nick Dennis (1904–1980), American actor
Nigel Dennis (1912–1989), English writer, critic, playwright and magazine editor
Patrick Dennis (1921–1976), American author
Peter Dennis (disambiguation), multiple people
Richard Dennis (born 1949), American commodities trader
Richard William George Dennis (1910–2003), British mycologist
Robert J. Dennis (fl. 1980s–2020s), American businessman, chairman and CEO of Genesco
Ron Dennis (born 1947), English former executive chairman of McLaren Automotive
Roy L. Dennis (1961–1978), American boy afflicted with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia
Samuel Dennis (academic) (fl. 1770s–1790s), English academic administrator
Samuel Dennis (Australian politician) (1870–1945), Australian politician
Samuel K. Dennis (died 1892), American politician
Samuel K. Dennis Jr. (1874–1953), American politician and judge
Sandy Dennis (1937–1992), American theater and film actress
Shaun Dennis (born 1969), Scottish footballer
Simon Dennis (disambiguation), multiple people
SirVocea Dennis (born 2000), American football player
Tom Dennis (disambiguation), multiple people
Wesley Dennis (born 1963), American country music artist
Weston Dennis (fl. 2010s–2020s), also known as Westballz, American Super Smash Bros. Melee player
William Dennis (disambiguation)
Willie Dennis (1926–1965), American jazz trombonist
Willye Dennis (1926–2012), American librarian and civil rights activist

See also
Denis (disambiguation)
Denise (given name)
Dionysus

External links
Reynolds, Francis J., ed. (1921). "Denis" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier & Son Company.