Show ContentsDenys History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Denys Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Denys

What does the name Denys mean?

Denys is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Denys family when they emigrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Denys comes from the medieval given name, Dennis, which comes from the Greek name Dionysios, which means a follower of the god Dionysius. 1 2

There is also evidence that some of the family originated in Normandy: "Richard, Fulco, Geoffry, Roger, Hugh, Matthew, Robert Daneis of Normandy, 1180-98 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae.)" 3

Early Origins of the Denys family

The surname Denys was first found in Lancashire. Conjecturally, the name came to us from Normandy, from the patron saint of France, St. Denis. 1 He was Bishop of Parisii (Paris), but was martyred in the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after 250 AD. Apparently, after he was beheaded by a sword, he picked it up and walked ten kilometers (six miles), preaching a sermon the entire way. After the Norman Conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D., the family were granted extensive lands in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Devon and Cornwall.

Early rolls listed the name as a forename and surname as was typical of the times. Early Lincolnshire records show: Dionisius de Chotum; Dionisia; and Denis de Sixlea in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. Other early entries include: Deonisia in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1212; Denise in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1321; Deonis in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327; Dionis ate Brome in the Subsidy Rolls for Surrey in 1332; Denes; and Walter Denys in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1272. 4

The manor of Lesnewth in Cornwall belonged to the Dennis family in the reign of Charles I., "but it is now the property of E. J. Glynn, Esq. in whose family it has been vested nearly a century." 5

In Devon, the Abbey of Ashburton and the adjacent lands were granted to Sir Thomas Dennis, and descended in his family in the 13th century. 6

"Dennis is an ancient name in Devonshire. In the reign of Henry II. an influential family of Le Deneis resided at Pancrasweek, in the hundred of Black Torrington, and from them sprang the knightly family of Dennis, of Blagdon and Manaton, and the families of Dennis of Holcomb - Buraell, Colliscombe, etc., in the 16th and 17th centuries (W. A. and W.). Dennis was a Bideford name in the 16th and 17th centuries, Anthony Dennis, of Orleigh, being mayor in the reign of James I., whilst Robert Dennis was a Bideford alderman somewhere about this period." 7

Early History of the Denys family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Denys research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1477, 1498, 1500, 1507, 1546, 1554, 1555, 1561, 1591, 1592, 1606, 1609, 1616, 1628, 1656, 1657, 1660, 1679, 1692, 1693, 1700 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Denys History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denys Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Denys were recorded, including Dennis, Denis, Dennys, Dennyss, Denys, Denniss and many more.

Early Notables of the Denys family

  • Sir Thomas Denys (d.1498) of Holcombe Burnell
  • Sir Thomas Denys (c.1477-1561), English politician and landholder of estates in Devon at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, nine-time Sheriff of Devon between 1507 and 1554, and Member of Parliament...

Denys Ranking

France, the name Denys is the 1,899th most popular surname with an estimated 3,250 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Denys family to Ireland

Some of the Denys family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denys migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Denys arrived in North America very early:

Denys Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Margaritje Denys, who arrived in America in 1649 9

Denys migration to Canada +

Denys Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Antoine Denys, who landed in Canada in 1642

Contemporary Notables of the name Denys (post 1700) +

  • Marie-José Denys (1950-2022), French politician, member of the Socialist Party, she served in the European Parliament from 1989 to 1994 and again from 1997 to 1999
  • Pierre Denys, contemporary French physician who co-discovered Denys-Drash syndrome
  • André C. Denys (1948-2013), Belgian politician, Governor of the province East Flanders from 2004 to 2013
  • Herbert Denys Hake OBE (1894-1975), English cricketer who played for Hampshire (1920-1925) and Cambridge University (1920-1921), he emigrated to Australia where he became Chairman of Conference of the Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia
  • Georges-Henri Denys Arcand CC GOQ (b. 1941), Canadian Academy Award nominated film director who has won numerous award including eight Genie awards, for his film "Le Déclin de L'Empire Americain" (The Decline of the American Empire)
  • Denys Chabot (1945-2025), Canadian writer and journalist from Quebec, noted for his novels L'Eldorado dans les glaces, which won the Prix Gibson in 1979, and La province lunaire, which won the Governor General's Award
  • Denys Graham (1926-2024), Welsh actor who appeared in the later series of Rumpole of the Bailey
  • Denys Kostyuk (b. 1982), Ukrainian former professional road bicycle racer
  • Denys Chomel, French graphic artist, Paris
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  6. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  7. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  8. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  9. 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)

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