Show ContentsDeniz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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 Deniz 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 Deniz family

The surname Deniz 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 Deniz family

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

Deniz 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 Deniz, some of which include Denis, Dennis, Denys, Dennys, Denice, Denise, Deniset, Deniseau, Denison, Denisard, Denizot, Denizon and many more.

Early Notables of the Deniz family

Notable amongst the family during this period was Claude Denis, Lord of la Cornillere, during the 1700's; Frans Denys (c. 1610-1670), a Flemish Baroque painter mainly of portraits; Jacob Denys (1644-1708) was a Flemish Baroque painter; Nicolas Denys (1598?-1688), a French aristocrat who became an explorer, colonizer, soldier and leader in New France, founder of settlements at...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deniz Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Deniz 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 Deniz were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Deniz were

Deniz Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Eugenio Deniz, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States, in 1918
  • Martin Deniz, aged 24, who settled in America, in 1921
  • Rosario Deniz, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Deniz (post 1700) +

  • Deniz Almas (b. 1997), German athlete who competed in the men's 4 × 100 metres relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics


  1. 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.


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