Dene
Feminine · “a short form of Dena or Denise”
Dene is given to both — 572 girls and 223 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Dene is a short name that reaches girls and boys by different roads, and it is also a word, the name the Dene peoples of northern Canada use for themselves. It is quick to say and has no hard edges.
How old is the name Dene?
Dene first appears in US birth records in 1921 — 104 years ago. The typical Dene alive today was born around 1969, making them about 56 years old. About 500 people named Dene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dene most popular?
Dene peaked in 1965, reaching #2833 nationally. See the whole 1965 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Dena / Dean to Dene
The story of Dene
Across the north of Canada, the Dene peoples call themselves by a word that means the people, and far to the south the Navajo call themselves Diné, the same word in a language of the same Athabaskan family, spoken two thousand miles away. In American naming, Dene came from two other directions: for girls from Dena and Denise, for boys from Dean. The spelling serves both, and most children given it have been girls.
Meaningscholars disagree
a short form of Dena or Denise, or a spelling of Dean
For girls, Dene is most likely a short form of Dena or Denise. For boys it is usually a spelling of Dean, an English surname. In the languages of the Dene peoples the word means the people, a separate source that American families rarely had in mind.
How the name formed
- Dena / Dean
- Dene
Related forms: Dena · Dean
Pronouncing Dene
DEEN
Usually one syllable, like Dean. Some families say DEE-nee or DEN-ay; in Dene languages the word is DEN-eh.
Nicknames for Dene
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1921
- Most girls named
- 196519 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2833reached in 1965
- Change vs 1999
- +33.3%12 in 2000, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Dene in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Dena in English — related form
- Dean in English — related form
Denes among us
people named Dene are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Dene sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is short and easy to say.
- It works for a girl or a boy, each by its own road.
- It is rare, so it will seldom be shared.
- People will not know whether to say one syllable or two.
- Most children given it are girls; a boy named Dene may be taken for a girl on paper, and a girl may be read as Dean.
- It is also the name of living Indigenous peoples, which some people will know.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Dene
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Denes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Dene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dene in 2025?
- Dene is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Dene with classmates?
- Dene will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
Dorothy#421 · Donna#1962 · Deborah#862 · Debra#4460 · Diane#2607 · Doris#2895 · Denise#1673 · Danielle#549
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dene? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dene and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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