Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Dennis m. Latin Dyonisius, from Greek Διόνυσιος 'of Dionisos'.

The name of a 3rd C saint, the patron of Paris, and a 12th-13th C king of Portugal.

Dionysius was sometimes used as a latinization or anglicization of Irish Donnchad (cf. Duncan). The vernacular English form Dynys and Dyonys are witnessed in 1379 in the relational bynames Dynysmañ (WRYPT1 p. 146) and Dyonysmañ (WRYPT1 p. 130).

Belgium
Middle Dutch
1376 Denijs (nom) RSG1376-89 p. 1; 1377 Denijs (nom) ibid. p. 78
Dutch
1597x1598 Denys BoonenGes p. 335, Dionys ibid. p. 333
Brabant
Latin
1312 Dyonisii (gen) JeanIII p. 25, Dyonisius (nom) ibid. p. 34
Croatia
Latin
1544 Dyanes Brgles p. 6, fn. 18
Croatian
1597 Dyanes Susedgrad1597 p. 30
Czech Republic
Latin
1376 Dionysius (nom) LDFPUP1 p. 31
Denmark
Danish
1581 Dioniss KD-1 no. 362
England
Latin
1300 Dyonisius (nom) ProcSuf-vol3 p. 243; 1357 Dionisii (gen) SocAntNor-3-3 no. 23, Dionisio (abl) ibid. no. 23; 1379 Dionisius (nom) WRYPT1 p. 3; 1381 Dionis (nom) Suffolk1381 p. 85
1189 Denisel (nom) GASurv p. 140
Dutch
1571 Denijs AuFr Valkaerts; 1573 Denijs ibid. Spurckels, Denis ibid. Valckaert; 1574 Denijs ibid. Spurckels; 1575 Denijs ibid. Valckaert; 1576 Denijs ibid. Valckaert; 1577 Denijs ibid. Spurckels, Dionijs ibid. Blanck; 1578 Dionijs ibid. Blancke; 1579 Dionijs ibid. Valckardtz; 1580 Dionijs ibid. Mont; 1581 Denijs ibid. Valckaert, Denys ibid. Mont; 1582 Dionijsius ibid. Blanck, Dionysius ibid. Blanck; 1585 Denijs ibid. Blancq; 1588 Dionisius ibid. Blanc; 1591 Denijs ibid. Souwijn; 1596 Dionysius ibid. Boombinder; 1597 Denijs ibid. Bertholomeus; 1599 Denijs ibid. Bartholomeus
Early Modern English
1530 Diones LIWill-III p. 71; 1539 Denys BarnstapleBap p. 1; 1540 Denes ibid. p. 1, Denys ibid. p. 2; 1541 Dennis DEmar-vol1 p. 78, StAnthonlin p. 3; 1542 Denys BarnstapleBap p. 3; 1543 Denes ibid. p. 3, Denys ibid. p. 4; 1544 Denys ibid. p. 4; 1547 Denys ibid. p. 6; 1551 Denys ibid. p. 7; 1561 Dennes ibid. p. 11; 1564 Denys ibid. p. 13; 1583 Dennis DEmar-vol2 p. 8; 1584 Denis SurMus p. 189; 1585 Dennis DEmar-vol2 p. 11; 1586/7 Dynes RegPat p. 36; 1589 Dennis DEmar-vol2 p. 17; 1590 Dennis bruton1 p. 50; 1591 Dennis DEmar-vol2 p. 23; 1591/2 Dynas RegPat p. 39; 1593 Dennis bruton1 p. 52; 1596 Dynis RegPat p. 41
Middle French
1569 Denis WCS p. 5; 1570 denis ibid. p. 6; 1572 denis ibid. p. 7; 1573 denis ibid. p. 9; 1574 denis ibid. p. 9; 1575 denis ibid. p. 42; 1576 denis ibid. p. 12; 1577 denis ibid. p. 13; 1578 denis ibid. p. 44; 1579 Denis ibid. p. 44; 1580 denis ibid. p. 15; 1588 Denis ibid. p. 48; 1589 Denis ibid. p. 48; 1598 Denis ibid. p. 106
Walloon
1581/2 Denis RWC p. 4; 1581 Dennis ibid. p. 3; 1582/3 Denis ibid. p. 5; 1583 Denis ibid. p. 7; 1590 Denis ibid. p. 14; 1590/1 Denys ibid. p. 16; 1591 Denis ibid. p. 18; 1592 Denis ibid. p. 23; 1593 Denis ibid. p. 28
Estonia
Middle Low German
1592 Nissa Tiik1977 p. 285, Thio ibid. p. 285
Finland
Early Modern Swedish
1582 Denisnlij Audén1980 p. 171, Denisze ibid. p. 171
France
Latin
1258 Dyonisium (acc) ArrestReg-volI IV, Candlemas; 1267 Dyonisii (gen) NDParisII 2-XXI; 1268 Dionisii (gen) ibid. 2-V, Dyonisii (gen) ibid. 2-V; 1269 Dionisii (gen) ibid. 2-III; 1278 Dyonisii (gen) ibid. 1-XLIX; 1301 Dyonisius (nom) MemPic-vol17 p. 212; 1304 Dyonisium (acc) CartNDdOurscamp LXXXVI; 1378 Dionisii (gen) hanquetvol1 206, Dionisio (dat) ibid. 247, Dyonisius (nom) ibid. 2479
Old French
1291 Dyonis (nom) StOuen p. 22; 1292 Denise (obl) MemBret-I 1102, Denyse 1292paris p. 2; 1296 Denise paris1296 p. 12; 1298 Denise (obl) HistHdVParis p. 141; 1299 Denise (obl) ibid. p. 147, Denize (obl) ibid. p. 146; 1313 Denise-m Paris1313 p. 73, Denys ibid. p. 26
1292 Denisot (obl) MemBret-I 1102; 1296 Denisot paris1296 p. 26
Middle French
1365 Denis ActsCharlesV no. 214; 1392 Denis MemBret-II col. 602, Denys ibid. col. 608; 1418 Deni DdB1418 p. 201, Denis ibid. p. 196, HGParis p. 373, Denys DdB1418 p. 198; 1421 Denis favier 13; 1423 Denis ibid. 383; 1438 Denis ibid. 186; 1440 Denis Laroche no. 5; 1455 Denys HRAVP-3 p. 353; 1477–1478 Denis Laroche no. 4; 1479 Denis ibid. no. 2; 1493 Denis MSR1838 p. 379; 1504 Denis HistHdVParis no. 6; 1533 Denis ibid. no. 8; 1561 Denys RegPCC-1 p. 5; 1562 Denys ibid. p. 10; 1563 Denis ibid. p. 22, Denys ibid. p. 18; 1564 Denys ibid. p. 56; 1565 Denis ibid. p. 172, Denys ibid. p. 115; 1566 Denis ibid. p. 219, Denys ibid. p. 198; 1567 Denys ibid. p. 289; 1568 Denys ibid. p. 363; 1570 Denys ibid. p. 426; 1571 Denis ibid. p. 466, Denys ibid. p. 437; 1587 Denis RTFProvins 9; 1588 Denis raymond1588 p. 564
1418 Deniset DdB1418 p. 202, Denisot ibid. p. 198, HGParis p. 374; 1421 Denisot favier 59, Denixost ibid.; 1423 Denisot ibid. 53; 1438 Denisot ibid. 415
Hungary
Latin
1351 Dionisio (abl) CDH-IX-II III, Diyonisio (abl) ibid. III, Dyonisio (abl) ibid. I
Ireland
Latin
1435 Dionisio (dat) RegOct 122, Dionisius (nom) ibid. 68; 1497 Dionisium (acc) ibid. 38
Early Modern English
1540 Dionysius Fiants-1 110
Italy
Latin
1235 Dionisii (gen) TirNot1 5, Dionisium (acc) ibid. 5; 1527 Dionisij (gen) Rome1527 p. 83, Dionisius (nom) ibid. p. 83
The Netherlands
Dutch
1576 Denys NHG-Middelburg p. 69
Portugal
Latin
1269 Dyonisium (acc) PHGCRP-I no. 11, Dyonisius (nom) ibid. no. 11
Spain
Catalan
1510 Dionis valencia1510 3287
Spanish
1575 Dionisio Catalogo-5.2 3812
Cite as: A. Brown, G. Grim, R. Le Get, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Dennis". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Dennis.