Denna
Feminine
The doubled n shortens a vowel that Dena leaves long. Written with one, the first syllable rhymes with clean; written with two, it rhymes with hen — which makes these two different names in speech, not two spellings of one.
How old is the name Denna?
Denna first appears in US birth records in 1921 — 104 years ago. The typical Denna alive today was born around 1968, making them about 57 years old. About 2,100 people named Denna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Denna most popular?
Denna peaked in 1969, reaching #1095 nationally. See the whole 1969 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Denna
English has almost no other way of marking vowel length inside a word, which makes the doubled consonant one of the hardest-working devices in the spelling system: it is the difference between later and latter, hoping and hopping, Dena and Denna. Names get respelt constantly and most respellings change nothing audible, so it is worth flagging the ones that do. This is one. A Denna and a Dena are not the same name said two ways; they are two names, and the record carries both.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No single source can be given. The name can be cut from Denise, from Deanna or from Dena, and it can equally be a construction with no parent at all.
Pronouncing Denna
DEN-uh
Two syllables with the weight at the front, the first vowel short. Dena has a long e and is a different name in speech.
Nicknames for Denna
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
- 1921
- Most girls named
- 197099 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1095reached in 1969
- Change vs 2021
- +37.5%11 in 2023, from 8
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.
Dennas among us
people named Denna 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
Denna 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
- The doubled consonant removes a real ambiguity about the first vowel.
- Five letters, two syllables, and nothing complicated to say.
- It sits comfortably in front of almost any surname.
- Dena and Denna have different vowels, so they are not simply variants.
- There is no settled parent name, so the meaning depends on the family.
- It reads clearly as a name of the middle of the twentieth century.
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Denna
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Dennas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Denna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Denna in 2025?
- Denna is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Denna with classmates?
- Denna 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 Denna? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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