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Denis History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Denis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

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 Denis 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 Denis family

The surname Denis 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 Denis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Denis 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 Denis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denis Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Denis, some of which include Denis, Dennis, Denys, Dennys, Denice, Denise, Deniset, Deniseau, Denison, Denisard, Denizot, Denizon and many more.

Early Notables of the Denis family

Notable amongst the family during this period was

Claude Denis, Lord of la Cornillere, during the 1700's

Denis World Ranking

In the United States, the name Denis is the 5,199^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Denis is ranked the 422^nd most popular surname with an estimated 11,053 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Denis is the 179^th popular surname. 4 France ranks Denis as 56^th with 39,671 people. 5

Denis migration to the United States +

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 the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Denis were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Denis were

Denis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Timothy Denis, who landed in Virginia in 1714 6
Milan Denis, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 6
Antoine Denis, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 6
Jacques Denis, aged 40, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6

Denis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Donovan Denis, aged 61, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
C Denis, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 6
Pedro Denis, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1837 6
A Denis, aged 24, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1838 6
John Jacob Denis, who landed in Indiana in 1852 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Denis Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Antoine Denis, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 11th April 1642 7
Pierre Denis, son of Simon and Jeanne, who married Catherine Le Neuf, daughter of Jacques and Marguerite, in Quebec on 23rd August 1655 8
Charles Denis, son of Simon and Jeanne, who married Catherine De Lustelneau, daughter of Charles and Charlotte, in Quebec on 11th October 1668 8
Louis Denis, son of Pierre and Antoinette, who married Catherine Isambert, daughter of François and Anne, in Quebec on 9th September 1673 8
Paul Denis, son of Simon and Françoise, who married Louise-Madeleine Depeiras, daughter of Jean and Denyse, in Quebec on 18th January 1678 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Charles Denis, son of Charles and Catherine, who married Marie-Charlotte Chrétien, daughter of Jean and Geneviève, in L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec on 18th March 1700 8
Louis Denis, son of Pierre and Catherine, who married Marie-Louise Chartier, daughter of René-Louis and Marie-Madeleine, in Quebec on 20th July 1709 8
Charles-Paul Denis, son of Paul and Louise-Madeleine, who married Marie-Josephte Prat, daughter of Louis and Jeanne-Angélique, in Quebec on 17th October 1713 8
Charles Denis, son of Pierre and Marie, who married Marie-Madeleine Pichet, daughter of Jean and Geneviève, in Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 20th November 1719 8
Guillaume-Emmanuel Denis, son of Paul and Louise-Madeleine, who married Marie-Josephte Des Bergères, daughter of Raymond and Cécile, in Quebec on 22nd September 1722 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denis migration to Australia +

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

Denis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Keefe Denis, (b. 1798), aged 40, Irish coachman who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th May 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9

Denis 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:

Denis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. W. Denis, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Queen Bee" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 10th January 1872 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Denis (post 1700) +

Claire Denis (b. 1948), French film director and writer
Marcel Denis (1923-2002), French-speaking Belgian comics creator
Maurice Denis (1870-1943), French painter and writer
Paul Denis (1942-2024), Haitian politician, Justice Minister of Haiti (2009-2011)
Louis Gilbert Denis (1928-2022), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey forward who played three games for the Montreal Canadiens
Sergio Denis (1949-2020), Argentine singer-songwriter and occasional actor
Sir Peter Denis (d. 1778), British vice-admiral, son of a Protestant minister expelled from France 11
Jonathan Brian Denis QC (b. 1975), Canadian politician, Solicitor General, Attorney General, and Minister of Justice for the province of Alberta
Armand Denis (1896-1971), Belgian-born documentary film-maker
Azellus Denis PC, QC (1907-1991), Canadian politician from Saint-Norbert, Quebec
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020