NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Denver

A baby boy's name of uncertain origin potentially meaning "green valley".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 146 girls.

Denver is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Denver popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #945, with 33 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 46 births.

This profile covers 569 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 72% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 632 living people in the UK are called Denver. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Denver ranked #945 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 33 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2021, when 46 boys were registered as Denver.
  • Denver ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #414 in 2022.
  • Denver is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
  • About 632 living people in the UK are estimated to have Denver as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 79.6% of Denver registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#945

2024

Births in 2024

33

Latest year

Peak year

2021

46 births

Estimated living

632

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Denver

In England and Wales birth records, Denver has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 79.6% of registrations are for boys and 20.4% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

80% boys
20% girls
Boys569 (79.6%)Girls146 (20.4%)

Denver registered for boys

  • Ranked #945 in 2024
  • 33 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2021 (46 births)

Denver registered for girls

  • Ranked #4,192 in 2024
  • 5 girls registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2023 (10 births)

Meaning

What does Denver mean?

The given name Denver is a relatively modern name, originating in the late 19th century. It is an English name derived from the city of Denver, Colorado, which was founded in 1858 and named after James W. Denver, the governor of Kansas Territory at the time. The city itself was likely named after the nearby Denver Creek, whose name may have come from the French term for "green valley."

While the name Denver does not have ancient roots or connections to historical texts or religious scriptures, it gained popularity as a first name in the United States in the early 20th century. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the given name Denver was Denver S. Dickerson, born in 1907 in Texas. Dickerson was a noted educator and civil rights leader who served as the president of several historically black colleges and universities.

Another notable individual named Denver was Denver Pyle, an American actor born in 1920. Pyle was best known for his roles in television shows such as The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp and The Dukes of Hazzard. He had a successful career spanning over five decades and passed away in 1997.

Denver Nuggets, born in 1926 in Mississippi, was a professional baseball player who played in the Negro Leagues and later for the Philadelphia Stars. He was known for his exceptional defensive skills as an outfielder and played a significant role in breaking down racial barriers in professional baseball.

Denver Randleman, born in 1951, is an American businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the successful footwear company Reebok. He played a crucial role in the company's growth and expansion, helping to establish Reebok as a leading brand in the athletic footwear industry.

Denver Moore, born in 1936, was a former homeless man whose life story was chronicled in the bestselling book "Same Kind of Different as Me." His friendship with a wealthy art dealer and their journey of mutual understanding and redemption inspired many and shed light on the struggles of homelessness and poverty.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Denver over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Denver in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Denver, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 33 births in 2024, compared with 46 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
014284155199620102024

Decades

Denver by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Denver was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #903 177 5
2010s #1388 203 10
2000s #1318 143 10
1990s #1256 46 4

Geography

Where Denver is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Denver. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Denver ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #414 in 2022.

Scotland
6
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Denver in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#482 in 2023

10 years of NRS records, 41 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#414 in 2022

8 years of NISRA records, 26 total registered

Related

Names similar to Denver

FAQ

Denver: questions and answers

How popular is the name Denver in the UK right now?

In 2024, Denver was ranked #945 for boys in England and Wales, with 33 births registered.

When was Denver most popular?

The peak year on record was 2021, with 46 babies registered as Denver in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Denver?

A baby boy's name of uncertain origin potentially meaning "green valley".

How many people are called Denver in the UK?

A total of 569 babies have been registered as Denver across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 41 more in Scotland and 26 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Denver most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Denver ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #414 in 2022. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.