NameCensus.

UK surname

Denny

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duinnín, meaning "descendant of Duinnín," a diminutive of Donn, meaning "brown-haired."

In the 1881 census there were 2,519 people recorded with the Denny surname, ranking it #1,772 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,566, ranked #1,901, down from #1,772 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Suffolk Coastal, Mid Suffolk and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Denny is 3,840 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.6%.

1881 census count

2,519

Ranked #1,772

Modern count

3,566

2016, ranked #1,901

Peak year

2000

3,840 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Denny had 2,519 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,772 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,566 in 2016, ranked #1,901.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,171 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Denny surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Denny surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Denny 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 1,685 #1,709
1861 historical 1,473 #1,923
1881 historical 2,519 #1,772
1891 historical 2,707 #1,752
1901 historical 3,171 #1,770
1911 historical 3,054 #1,707
1997 modern 3,720 #1,741
1998 modern 3,837 #1,762
1999 modern 3,815 #1,778
2000 modern 3,840 #1,758
2001 modern 3,717 #1,774
2002 modern 3,742 #1,813
2003 modern 3,673 #1,807
2004 modern 3,589 #1,841
2005 modern 3,455 #1,886
2006 modern 3,508 #1,866
2007 modern 3,534 #1,869
2008 modern 3,562 #1,861
2009 modern 3,622 #1,879
2010 modern 3,656 #1,910
2011 modern 3,635 #1,887
2012 modern 3,550 #1,894
2013 modern 3,646 #1,882
2014 modern 3,660 #1,883
2015 modern 3,608 #1,888
2016 modern 3,566 #1,901

Geography

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Where Dennys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Glasgow and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Suffolk Coastal, Mid Suffolk, Waveney, Central Bedfordshire and Babergh. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Suffolk Coastal 003 Suffolk Coastal
2 Mid Suffolk 007 Mid Suffolk
3 Waveney 014 Waveney
4 Central Bedfordshire 005 Central Bedfordshire
5 Babergh 004 Babergh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Denny

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Denny

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Denny, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Denny surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Denny household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Denny is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Denny is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Denny falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Denny 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 Denny, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Denny

The surname Denny is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "dene" meaning "valley" or "hollow." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century as a topographic name, referring to people who lived in a valley or near a dell.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Denny can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Dene." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a particular valley or dell.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Denny, Denney, and Dennie. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during the medieval period.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Denny was Sir Edward Denny (1547-1600), an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as her ambassador to France and was granted lands in County Kerry, Ireland.

Another prominent individual with the surname Denny was Sir Anthony Denny (c. 1501-1549), a close friend and confidant of King Henry VIII. He held influential positions at the court and was involved in various political and religious affairs during the English Reformation.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Denny surname can be found in the 17th century. Arthur Denny (1621-1686) was an English settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s and later became a prominent landowner and public figure in the colony.

The name Denny is also linked to several place names, such as Denny Crookdake in Cumbria, England, and Denny Cistercian Nunnery in Cambridgeshire, England, both of which likely derived their names from the topographic features associated with the surname.

Another notable figure with the Denny surname was Harmar Denny (1794-1838), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the 1830s.

Overall, the surname Denny has a rich history rooted in the English language and topography, with references dating back to the 12th century and various notable individuals bearing the name throughout history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Denny families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Denny 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. Middlesex leads with 398 Dennys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.62x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 398 1.62x
Suffolk 357 11.93x
Surrey 292 2.44x
Essex 194 4.00x
Norfolk 178 4.71x
Lancashire 145 0.50x
Kent 119 1.42x
Yorkshire 107 0.44x
Lanarkshire 86 1.08x
Northamptonshire 82 3.55x
Warwickshire 54 0.87x
Dunbartonshire 40 6.06x
Durham 38 0.52x
Renfrewshire 37 1.94x
Staffordshire 34 0.41x
Hampshire 33 0.66x
Buckinghamshire 28 1.89x
Berkshire 26 1.41x
Angus 22 0.97x
Bedfordshire 20 1.57x
Nottinghamshire 19 0.57x
Oxfordshire 18 1.19x
Cumberland 17 0.80x
Gloucestershire 16 0.33x
Cheshire 15 0.28x
Sussex 14 0.34x
Argyllshire 11 1.61x
Devon 10 0.20x
Hertfordshire 9 0.53x
Midlothian 9 0.27x
Northumberland 9 0.25x
Dorset 8 0.50x
Glamorgan 7 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.39x
Leicestershire 6 0.22x
Shropshire 6 0.28x
Westmorland 6 1.11x
Derbyshire 5 0.13x
Flintshire 5 0.76x
Lincolnshire 4 0.10x
Monmouthshire 3 0.17x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.38x
Somerset 3 0.08x
Stirlingshire 3 0.33x
Buteshire 2 1.34x
Cornwall 2 0.07x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.41x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.04x
Channel Islands 1 0.14x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.49x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.18x
Fife 1 0.07x
Herefordshire 1 0.10x
Isle of Man 1 0.22x
Perthshire 1 0.09x
Royal Navy 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Bruern in Northamptonshire leads with 56 Dennys recorded in 1881 and an index of 792.08x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Bruern 56 792.08x
Kensington London 42 3.08x
Shoreditch London 36 3.38x
Islington London 34 1.43x
Southwark St George Martyr 33 6.68x
Govan 32 1.63x
St Marylebone London 32 2.44x
Hackney London 31 2.25x
Barony 30 1.49x
Heigham 30 14.80x
Lambeth 30 1.40x
Newington 30 3.31x
West Ham 29 2.71x
Clapham 27 8.79x
St Pancras London 26 1.32x
Cardross 25 31.55x
Aldershot 23 13.64x
Deptford St Paul 23 3.56x
Coventry St Michael 22 11.06x
Dedham 22 149.56x
Preston Bisset 22 761.25x
Southwold 22 124.22x
Wetheringsett Cum 22 253.16x
Stow Upland 21 213.41x
Ipswich St Margaret 20 19.70x
Camberwell 19 1.21x
Battersea 18 1.99x
Glasgow 18 1.28x
Hardingham 18 410.02x
Southwark St Saviour 18 14.26x
West Greenock 18 5.27x
Weybridge 17 66.20x
Bermondsey 16 2.19x
St Luke London 16 4.06x
West Derby 16 1.88x
Bethnal Green London 15 1.41x
Lewisham 15 3.36x
Bow London 14 4.48x
Wimbledon 14 10.42x
Dundee 13 1.53x
Headingley Cum Burley 13 8.30x
Linthorpe 13 8.95x
Ashbocking 12 449.44x
Chatham 12 5.20x
Haughley 12 160.86x
Kingston On Thames 12 4.17x
Liverpool 12 0.68x
Liversedge 12 11.08x
Reading St Giles 12 6.63x
St Giles In Fields London 12 9.96x
Wandsworth 12 5.08x
Barrow In Furness 11 2.77x
Bury St Edmunds St James 11 13.77x
Campbeltown 11 13.34x
Clerkenwell London 11 1.90x
Great Waltham 11 55.70x
St George Hanover Square 11 2.54x
Stockton On Tees 11 3.12x
Bedford St Paul 10 11.46x
Leyton 10 11.97x
Middleton 10 135.32x
Mile End Old Town London 10 1.91x
Purleigh 10 138.12x
Rickinghall Inferior 10 323.62x
Rickinghall Superior 10 208.77x
Rowley Regis 10 4.33x
Stoke Newington London 10 5.23x
West Broughton 10 101.52x
Woolwich 10 3.23x
Biggleswade 9 21.61x
Chelsea London 9 1.22x
Dumbarton 9 9.80x
Earley 9 29.31x
Liff Benvie 9 2.61x
Little Baddow 9 196.51x
Millom 9 13.89x
Nuneaton 9 12.54x
Paddington London 9 1.00x
Toxteth Park 9 0.91x
Tranmere 9 4.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 143
Elizabeth 70
Sarah 68
Ellen 49
Jane 44
Eliza 37
Emma 37
Alice 34
Ann 33
Annie 29
Emily 28
Maria 21
Martha 20
Louisa 19
Charlotte 18
Caroline 17
Harriet 17
Margaret 17
Ada 16
Florence 16
Hannah 16
Catherine 15
Agnes 12
Edith 12
Harriett 12
Kate 12
Rose 10
Fanny 9
Clara 8
Elizth. 8
Laura 8
Anna 7
Julia 7
Lucy 7
Matilda 7
Minnie 7
Amelia 6
Ethel 6
Frances 6
Helen 6
Maud 6
Rebecca 6
Eleanor 5
Miriam 5
Phoebe 5
Sophia 5
Susan 5
Agness 4
Anne 4
Jessie 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 150
John 104
Thomas 75
George 72
James 62
Charles 57
Henry 48
Alfred 46
Edward 43
Arthur 37
Robert 29
Frederick 24
Walter 23
Joseph 21
Ernest 17
Harry 17
Samuel 16
Albert 14
Herbert 14
Richard 14
David 9
Frank 9
Wm. 9
Jeremiah 8
Peter 8
Alexander 7
Michael 6
Thos. 6
Chas. 5
Daniel 5
Francis 5
Fredk. 5
Benjamin 4
Dennis 4
Elijah 4
Leonard 4
Plato 4
Anthony 3
Cornelius 3
Edmund 3
Edwin 3
Isaac 3
Josiah 3
Matthew 3
Patrick 3
Reuben 3
Stephen 3
Tom 3
Wilfred 3
D'ARCY 2

FAQ

Denny surname: questions and answers

How common was the Denny surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,519 people were recorded with the Denny surname. That placed it at #1,772 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Denny surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,566 in 2016. That gives Denny a modern rank of #1,901.

What does the Denny surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duinnín, meaning "descendant of Duinnín," a diminutive of Donn, meaning "brown-haired."

What does the Denny map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Denny 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.