Given name & surname
Den
“a follower of Dionysus”
Den is a variant of Dennis. One French interpretation is “a follower of Dionysus.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Den is a variant of Dennis. One French interpretation is “a follower of Dionysus.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Den is a variant of Dennis. A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Den is used as a shortened form of Dennis.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1942. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Den through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 17
- 17 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1942
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1958. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 727 as a first name in 2020; 307 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Den’s family of names
In English usage, Den is a diminutive of Dennis. In Japanese usage, Den as a surname is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 田. Den is a short form of Dennis.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Den
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Den, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Dian
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Dewane
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Dell
“from the small valley”
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Deane
“from the valley; a church official”
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Dellas
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Don
“from of Donald, meaning”
>99% boys