NameCensus.

UK surname

Denniss

A surname derived from the name Dennis, itself coming from the Greek Dionysios meaning "follower of Dionysus" (the god of wine).

In the 1881 census there were 309 people recorded with the Denniss surname, ranking it #9,517 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 360, ranked #12,867, down from #9,517 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Saltfleetby All Saints, St Clement, St Peter, Hull Holy Trinity and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirklees, East Lindsey and East Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Denniss is 438 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.5%.

1881 census count

309

Ranked #9,517

Modern count

360

2016, ranked #12,867

Peak year

1911

438 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Denniss had 309 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,517 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 360 in 2016, ranked #12,867.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 438 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Denniss surname distribution map

The map shows where the Denniss surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Denniss surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Denniss over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 367 #6,469
1861 historical 344 #7,422
1881 historical 309 #9,517
1891 historical 395 #8,961
1901 historical 337 #10,735
1911 historical 438 #8,684
1997 modern 378 #11,474
1998 modern 382 #11,779
1999 modern 386 #11,740
2000 modern 379 #11,855
2001 modern 361 #12,102
2002 modern 379 #11,913
2003 modern 377 #11,762
2004 modern 377 #11,776
2005 modern 373 #11,794
2006 modern 375 #11,796
2007 modern 381 #11,798
2008 modern 378 #11,993
2009 modern 385 #12,070
2010 modern 394 #12,131
2011 modern 381 #12,300
2012 modern 377 #12,238
2013 modern 378 #12,422
2014 modern 384 #12,362
2015 modern 371 #12,567
2016 modern 360 #12,867

Geography

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Where Denniss' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Saltfleetby All Saints, St Clement, St Peter, Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes, Clee and Measham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kirklees, East Lindsey, East Cambridgeshire and Fenland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Saltfleetby All Saints, St Clement, St Peter Lincolnshire
2 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Clee Lincolnshire
5 Measham Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirklees 037 Kirklees
2 Kirklees 048 Kirklees
3 East Lindsey 003 East Lindsey
4 East Cambridgeshire 005 East Cambridgeshire
5 Fenland 004 Fenland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Denniss

These lists show first names that appear often with the Denniss surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Denniss

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Denniss, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Denniss surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Denniss household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Denniss is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Denniss is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Denniss falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Denniss is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Denniss, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Denniss

The surname Denniss has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the personal name Dennis, which itself is a variant of the Latin name Dionysius. This name was originally brought to England by the Normans after their conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Denniss can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1191, where a certain Radulphus Denys is mentioned. These Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer. This early spelling variation reflects the fluid nature of surnames during that time.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms such as Deneys, Denys, and Dennys in various county records across southern England. These early records suggest that the name was particularly prevalent in areas like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.

The Denniss surname is not recorded in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, indicating that its widespread usage likely emerged in the centuries following the Norman Conquest. However, its Norman-French roots are evident in its connection to the name Dionysius.

One notable bearer of the Denniss surname was Sir Walter Dennys (c.1480-1550), a Member of Parliament and prominent figure in the court of King Henry VIII. Another was John Denys (1615-1688), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Other historical figures with this surname include Sir William Denys (c.1470-1533), a wealthy landowner and sheriff of Gloucestershire, and Thomas Denys (c.1605-1638), an English explorer and colonist who established the first permanent English settlement in Newfoundland.

In the realm of literature, John Dennys (1615-1689) was an English poet and translator known for his work "The Secrets of Angling," which was one of the earliest works on the subject of fishing published in English.

While the Denniss surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, with a strong connection to the Norman-French name Dionysius and its Latin roots.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Denniss families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Denniss surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 59 Denniss' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.06x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 59 2.06x
Lincolnshire 43 9.28x
Middlesex 41 1.42x
Kent 31 3.14x
Surrey 21 1.49x
Warwickshire 15 2.05x
Bedfordshire 14 9.33x
Dorset 14 7.36x
Cambridgeshire 13 7.08x
Essex 12 2.10x
Hampshire 11 1.85x
Hertfordshire 9 4.51x
Oxfordshire 5 2.79x
Derbyshire 2 0.44x
Northumberland 2 0.46x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.51x
Berkshire 1 0.46x
Devon 1 0.17x
Northamptonshire 1 0.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Potton in Bedfordshire leads with 13 Denniss' recorded in 1881 and an index of 653.27x.

Place Total Index
Potton 13 653.27x
Holy Trinity 10 14.48x
St Pancras London 10 4.29x
Hitchin 9 99.89x
Louth 9 84.75x
Thornton Le Clay 9 3333.33x
Colchester All Sts 8 1777.78x
Coventry St Michael 8 34.09x
Littleport 8 227.92x
Marske In Guisbrough 8 156.86x
Worsbrough 8 95.12x
Battersea 7 6.57x
Camberwell 7 3.78x
Grimoldby 7 1944.44x
Ingoldmells 7 2916.67x
Bethnal Green London 6 4.77x
Canterbury St Paul 6 338.98x
Chelsea London 6 6.87x
East Orchard 6 2608.70x
Wittersham 6 681.82x
Ash Next Sandwich 5 228.31x
Clerkenwell London 5 7.31x
Cowesby 5 5000.00x
Greenford 5 943.40x
Newton 5 704.23x
Saltfleetby St Peter 5 1562.50x
South Reston 5 2083.33x
Arreton 4 210.53x
Charlton Marshall 4 615.38x
Coventry Holy Trinity 4 18.33x
Cowley 4 71.68x
Greenwich 4 8.67x
Hendon 4 38.39x
Lambeth 4 1.58x
New Malton 4 116.62x
Pimperne 4 952.38x
St Helens 4 92.59x
Winthorpe 4 1212.12x
Haselor 3 882.35x
Kirby Knowle 3 2727.27x
Bermondsey 2 2.32x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 2 20.37x
Brading 2 25.35x
Canterbury Archbishops 2 1111.11x
Derby St Alkmund 2 14.72x
Elswick 2 5.81x
Islington London 2 0.71x
Maidstone 2 6.79x
Maldon St Marys 2 145.99x
Margate St John Baptist 2 11.05x
Sculcoates 2 4.39x
Sutton In Ashfield 2 23.61x
Sutton Stoneferry 2 24.36x
Thirsk 2 60.42x
Balk 1 1428.57x
Barnsley 1 3.38x
Covenham St Bartholomew 1 416.67x
Eltham 1 17.27x
Exeter St Thomas The 1 16.26x
Folkestone 1 5.22x
Grays Thurrock 1 18.80x
Harrow On The Hill 1 17.27x
Headington 1 35.97x
Kings Cliffe 1 78.74x
Lewisham 1 1.90x
Lower Halstow 1 138.89x
Newport 1 31.06x
North Owersby 1 294.12x
Reading St Giles 1 4.69x
Sheriff Hutton W 1 123.46x
Sibsey 1 96.15x
Skegness 1 75.19x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 1.72x
St Botolph Lincoln 1 30.03x
St Giles In Fields London 1 7.04x
Stotfold 1 34.84x
Walthamstow 1 4.86x
Westminster St Margaret 1 7.15x
Wilsford 1 147.06x
York St Michael 1 243.90x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Denniss surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 20
Elizabeth 14
Sarah 12
Emily 8
Ellen 4
Maria 4
Martha 4
Ada 3
Alice 3
Clara 3
Emma 3
Frances 3
Harriett 3
Amy 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Eliza 2
Isabella 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Susan 2
Betsey 1
Edith 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Elsie 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Harriatt 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Isabel 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lavinia 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lydia 1
M. 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Maude 1
May 1
Maymie 1
Nellie 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Denniss surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 25
William 17
George 15
James 12
Joseph 7
Thomas 7
Alfred 5
Charles 5
Robert 5
Frank 4
Frederick 4
Henry 4
Edward 3
Herbert 3
Richard 3
Samuel 3
Walter 3
Arthur 2
Fred 2
Harry 2
Luke 2
Abraham 1
Adam 1
Arty 1
Benjamin 1
Daniel 1
E.W. 1
Ebenezer 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Fred.J. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo.Farr 1
Geo.J.W. 1
H. 1
Jacob 1
Johnson 1
Josh.Jno.F. 1
Marmaduke 1
Philliph 1
Thos. 1
Thos.C. 1
Tom 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Denniss surname: questions and answers

How common was the Denniss surname in 1881?

In 1881, 309 people were recorded with the Denniss surname. That placed it at #9,517 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Denniss surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 360 in 2016. That gives Denniss a modern rank of #12,867.

What does the Denniss surname mean?

A surname derived from the name Dennis, itself coming from the Greek Dionysios meaning "follower of Dionysus" (the god of wine).

What does the Denniss map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Denniss bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.