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Dennis History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies South Africa

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Dennis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Dennis

What does the name Dennis mean?

The surname Denis is one of the oldest family names to come from the French region known as Bretagne, or Brittany in English. It is derived from the Greek given name Dionysios, which means a follower of the Greek god of the same name. Much of the popularity of the name Dennis is due to the fact that it was borne by the 3rd century Bishop of Paris who later became the patron saint of France.

Early Origins of the Dennis family

The surname Dennis was first found in Champagne, where this illustrious family held a family seat since ancient times. By the 14th century the family was well established in the region of Thiérache and several members of the family distinguished themselves through their contributions to the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility.

From the original line of Thiérache, the family branched, expanded, and prospered. Resulting from this expansion, the members of the family had their names recorded with a variety of spellings. As the members of the many branches were involved politically and culturally in their region, they were recorded in the ancient surveys. From the ancient records of the Denisard branch, Adam of la Capelle is recorded in Thiérache in 1340, Jehan is noted in 1360 and Mahieu is registered in 1404. From the Denise branch, Bernard appears in 1294, Pierre in 1384, Jehan Denise rendered homage in 1390, and Jacques appears in a census of 1448. As well, from the ancient cartularies Jehan Denisot is mentioned in 1438. 1

Early History of the Dennis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dennis research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1610, 1643, 1644, 1659, 1670, 1688, 1700, 1704, 1706, 1708, 1711 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Dennis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dennis Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Dennis some of which are Denis, Dennis, Denys, Dennys, Denice, Denise, Deniset, Deniseau, Denison, Denisard, Denizot, Denizon and many more.

Early Notables of the Dennis family

Notable amongst the family during this period was Claude Denis, Lord of la Cornillere, during the 1700's; Frans Denys (c. 1610-1670), a Flemish Baroque painter mainly of portraits; Jacob Denys (1644-1708) was a Flemish Baroque painter; Nicolas Denys (1598?-1688), a French aristocrat who became an explorer, colonizer, soldier and leader in New France, founder of settlements at...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dennis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dennis World Ranking

In the United States, the name Dennis is the 355^th most popular surname with an estimated 77,097 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Dennis is ranked the 776^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,930 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Dennis is the 327^th popular surname with an estimated 10,915 people with that name. 4 New Zealand ranks Dennis as 652^nd with 1,097 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Dennis as 457^th with 14,271 people. 6

Dennis migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Dennis. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Dennis were

Dennis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Dennis who settled in Boston in 1630
Jo Dennis, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" 7
Jon Dennis, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 7
Anne Dennis, who landed in Virginia in 1637 aboard the ship "Tristram and Jane" 7
Edmund Dennis, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1640 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dennis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Catherine Dennis, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 7
Cha Dennis, who landed in Virginia in 1703 7
Eliz Dennis, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 7
Benjamin Dennis, who landed in South Carolina in 1710 7
Robert Dennis, who arrived in Virginia in 1713 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dennis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Dennis, who landed in America in 1811 7
Mrs. Dennis, aged 35, settled in Philadelphia in 1820
R F Dennis, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
T Dennis, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
W Dennis, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dennis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. James Henry Dennis, (b. 1883), aged 20, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 19th July 1903 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 8
Mr. Thomas H. Dennis, (b. 1885), aged 20, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Ridgefield, New Jersey, USA 8

Dennis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dennis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Charles Dennis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Henry Dennis U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harboutr, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 he moved on to Pennfield, New Brunswick he died In 1792 in New York 9
Mr. John Dennis U.E. (b. 1758) born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA from New Jersey, USA who settled in Shelburne, Nova Scotia c. 1783 he moved on to Beaver Harbour, Nova Scotia in late 1783, by 1789 Pennfield, New Brunswick in 1781 he married Martha Brown in New York in 1793 moving to Alexandria, Virginia before returning to Canada Humber River, Upper Canada, Ontario, they had 5 children he died in 1832 in Toronto 9
Mrs. Martha Dennis U.E., (née Brown) (b. 1749) born in Pennsylvania, USA who settled in Shelburne, Nova Scotia c. 1783 she moved with husband to Pennifeld, New Brunswick by 1789, she died in 1837 9
Mr. Cornelius Dennis U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 9

Dennis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert Dennis, who arrived in Canada in 1828
James Dennis, who arrived in Canada in 1828
Mary Dennis, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Britannia" from Sligo, Ireland
John Dennis, who landed in Canada in 1840
Platt Dennis, who landed in Canada in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dennis migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dennis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Dennis, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Richard Dennis, English convict who was convicted in East Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. James Dennis, (b. 1792), aged 30, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Samuel Dennis, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Samuel Dennis, English convict from Chester, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dennis migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dennis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Dennis, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 3rd November 1859 15
Mr. Frederick Dennis, (b. 1864), aged Infant, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 15
Mr. Samuel Dennis, (b. 1821), aged 43, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 15
Mrs. Elizabeth Dennis, (b. 1827), aged 37, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 15
Miss Mary Dennis, (b. 1853), aged 11, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dennis migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Dennis Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Dennis aged 18, settled in Barbados in 1635
Mr. Daniell Dennis, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 17
Mr. Thomas Dennis, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 18
John Dennis, who settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Dennis (post 1700) +

Avery Dennis Sr. (1929-2015), nicknamed "Chief Eagle Eye," an American Shinnecock tribal politician, activist and substance abuse counselor
Brevet Brigadier General John Benjamin Dennis (1835-1894), Union Army officer during the American Civil War
John Dennis (1807-1859), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland (1837-1841)
John Dennis (1771-1806), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland (1797-1805)
Matt Dennis (1914-2002), American singer, pianist, band leader and arranger, best known for his 1953 song "Angel Eyes"
Lawrence Dennis (1893-1977), American writer and editor
Carl Dennis (b. 1939), American poet, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for poetry
David Worth Dennis II (1912-1999), Republican United States Representative from Indiana
Peter Hugh Dennis II (b. 1962), English actor, comedian, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist
Rudolph "Garth" Dennis (1949-2021), Jamaican musician who was a founder member of Black Uhuru, later a member of The Wailing Souls
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Dennis family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Thomas Dennis, British Seaman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 19

HMS Hood

Mr. Ronald Dennis (b. 1918), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Basford, Nottinghamshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Walter Dennis, British Boy, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 21

RMS Titanic

Mr. William Dennis (d. 1912), aged 26, English Third Class passenger from Week St Mary, Cornwall who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 22
Mr. Samuel Dennis (d. 1912), aged 22, English Third Class passenger from Week St Mary, Cornwall who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 22

Victoria steamboat disaster

Hannah Dennis, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

Vimy Ridge

John Dennis (1896-1917), Canadian labourer, Private in the 44th Battalion from Manitoba who died at Vimy Ridge June 1917

Citations +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html