Denisa
Feminine · “of Dionysus”
Saint Denis is supposed to have picked up his own head and walked. He was beheaded on the hill above Paris, and the story says he carried his head several miles, preaching as he went, to the spot where he wanted to be buried — which is where the basilica of the French kings now stands.
How old is the name Denisa?
Denisa first appears in US birth records in 1952 — 73 years ago. The typical Denisa alive today was born around 1973, making them about 52 years old. About 900 people named Denisa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Denisa most popular?
Denisa peaked in 1964, reaching #1947 nationally. See the whole 1964 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From a Greek god's name taken by early Christians to Denisa
The story of Denisa
A saint who carries his own head is called a cephalophore, and there are dozens of them — the type is a standard piece of medieval hagiography, and the walking is usually a way of explaining why a church stands somewhere inconvenient. The hill Denis was executed on is Montmartre, which is generally taken to mean the mount of the martyr. What the story is really doing is joining two places, the execution site and the burial site, into one narrative — and the burial site became the abbey where nearly every French king was buried for twelve hundred years.
Meaning
of Dionysus
The name descends from the god of wine and theater by way of a great many early Christians called Dionysius, which is a good illustration of how completely a pagan name can be laundered. This spelling is the Czech, Slovak and Romanian form of the feminine, and it is also a plain American respelling of Denise, which drops a silent letter and adds a vowel.
How the name formed
- a Greek god's name taken by early Christians
- a bishop of Paris is executed on Montmartre
- the legend has him carry his head to his burial place
- Denise established in French and English use
- Denisa appears in American records in the 1950s
Related forms: Denisa · Denisa · Denise
Pronouncing Denisa
duh-NEE-suh
Three syllables with the weight in the middle. Czech and Romanian speakers give the final vowel more weight than English does.
Nicknames for Denisa
Moderate
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
- 1952
- Most girls named
- 196437 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1947reached in 1964
- Change vs 2022
- 0.0%5 in 2024, from 5
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.
Denisa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Denisa in Czech — same name
- Denisa in Romanian — same name
- Denise in French — related form
Denisas among us
people named Denisa 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
Denisa 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 a genuine name in three European languages and a plain respelling in a fourth.
- Deni and Nisa are both available and both work on their own.
- It is read correctly at sight by anybody.
- Denise is far commoner in America and will be substituted.
- The name descends from a god of wine, which some families will enjoy and others will not.
- It is closely dated to the middle of the last century in American use.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Denisa to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Denisa? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Denisa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Denisas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Denisa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Denisa in 2025?
- Denisa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Denisa with classmates?
- Denisa 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 Denisa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Denisa and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle