How popular is the baby name Denis in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Denis.

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Popularity of the baby name Denis


Posts that mention the name Denis

Popular baby names in Albania, 2019

Flag of Albania
Flag of Albania

I’ve never posted rankings for Albania before, so even though these are out-of-date — even more so than the Iowa rankings from earlier this week — I figured it would be better to have one set as opposed to nothing at all. :)

According to Albania’s Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the most popular baby names in the country in 2019 were Amelia and Noel.

Here are Albania’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2019:

Girl names

  1. Amelia, 499 baby girls
  2. Ajla, 327
  3. Aria, 182 (tie)
  4. Amelja, 182 (tie)
  5. Leandra, 145
  6. Ambra, 144
  7. Klea, 121
  8. Melisa, 114 (tie)
  9. Amaris, 114 (tie)
  10. Reina, 104

Boy names

  1. Noel, 402 baby boys
  2. Aron, 190
  3. Joel, 188
  4. Roan, 178
  5. Amar, 170
  6. Mateo, 146
  7. Alteo, 121
  8. Luis, 115 (tie)
  9. Roel, 115 (tie)
  10. Dion, 113

The following names didn’t make Albania’s top 10, but did rank #1 in at least one Albanian municipality:

Other top girl namesOther top boy names
Adela, Adriana, Ajsela, Alesia, Alesja, Alisja, Ariela, Arilena, Jasmina, Kostandina, Marilena, NataliaAjan, Albi, Albjon, Aleandro, Alesio, Alfjo, Alison, Amelio, Anesti, Angjelo, David, Denis, Enea, Ergi, Hristos, Mihal, Nezir, Rafael, Samuel, Xhoel

An article about Albanian baby names published several years ago mentioned that, in 2014, none of the top ten names of either gender were of Albanian origin. University of Tirana sociology professor Edmond Dragoti argued that the trendiness of foreign names could be traced back to the fall of communism in Albania because, during the communist era, such names had been banned. He explained:

All the frustration about [parents] not being able to name their children as they wished exploded after the 1990s, when Albania opened up. The unlimited and uncontrolled new freedom quickly surpassed the need for a national identity.

Sources: Emrat më të përdorur për bebet shqiptare në 2019-n! Para se të vendosësh shiko listën, Top 10 names used in the last year – INSTAT, Emrat e rinj – INSTAT, Craze For Foreign Names Alarms Albanian Patriots

Image: Adapted from Flag of Albania (public domain)

Name quotes #98: Judith, Xochitl, Rajaonina

double quotation mark

From an article about famous people reclaiming their names in The Guardian:

Earlier this year, the BBC presenter formerly known as Ben Bland changed his surname to Boulos to celebrate his maternal Sudanese-Egyptian heritage.

[…]

The Bland name had masked important aspects of his identity that he had downplayed as a child, not wanting to be seen as in any way “different”, including his Coptic faith, Boulos said. “Every name tells a story – and I want mine to give a more complete picture of who I am.”

Boulos’s grandparents, who came to Britain in the 1920s, had chosen the surname Bland because they feared using the Jewish-Germanic family name “Blumenthal”. “They decided on the blandest name possible — literally — to ensure their survival,” he wrote.

From the book I Speak of the City: Mexico City at the Turn of the Twentieth Century (2015) by Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo:

Babies were baptized with new and strange names, particularly in the 1920s, names taken from the titles of various socialist experiments (for instance, in Tabasco with Garrido Canaval, who established socialist baptisms), and as a result of the emergence of the radio and the indigenist turn of the city’s language. Masiosare became a boy’s name (derived from a stanza of the national anthem: “Mas si osare un extraño enemigo…”), but also Alcazelser (after the popularity of Alka-Seltzer), Xochitl, Tenoch, Cuauhtémoc, Tonatihu (the biblically named Lázaro Cárdenas named his son Cuauhtémoc).

From the book Cecil B. DeMille’s Hollywood (2004) by Robert S. Birchard:

DeMille interviewed Gloria Stuart for the part of the high school girl [in This Day and Age], Gay Merrick, and said she was “extremely enthusiastic,” and he also considered Paramount contract player Grace Bradley, but ultimately he selected a former model who called herself Mari Colman. In April 1933 Colman won a Paramount screen test in a New York beauty competition, and DeMille was apparently delighted by the innocent image she projected.

In a comic sequence in David O. Selznick’s 1937 production of A Star Is Born, the studio’s latest discovery, Esther Blodgett, is given a new name more in keeping with her status as a movie starlet. As This Day and Age was getting ready to roll, Mari Colman was subjected to the same treatment as DeMille and Paramount tested long lists of potential screen names. Among the suggestions were Betty Barnes, Doris Bruce, Alice Harper, Grace Gardner, Chloris Deane, and Marie Blaire. Colman herself suggested Pamela Drake or Erin Drake. On May 15, Jack Cooper wrote DeMille that he had tried several names on seventeen people. Eleven voted for the name Doris Manning; the other six held out for Doris Drake. Somehow, the name ultimately bestowed upon her was Judith Allen. DeMille and Paramount had high hopes for Allen, and she was even seen around town in the company of Gary Cooper, one of the studio’s biggest stars.

From an academic paper by Denis Regnier called “Naming and name changing in postcolonial Madagascar” (2016):

[T]he spread of the Christian faith in the nineteenth century resulted in people increasingly giving names from the Bible to their children. These biblical names were often modified to follow the phonological and morphological rules of the Malagasy language (e.g., John becomes Jaonina or Jaona), and often the honorific particle Ra-, the word andriana (lord), or both were added to them (e.g., Rajaonina and Randrianarijaona)

And let’s end with a related quote about Madagascar’s very long names:

Names were reduced in length when French colonization began in 1896 — the shortest names today include Rakotoarisoa, Rakotonirina, Andrianjafy or Andrianirina, and tend to have around 12 characters minimum.

From a DMNES blog post announcing the publication of “Names Shakespeare Didn’t Invent“:

In this article, we revisit three names which are often listed as coinages of Shakespeare’s and show that this received wisdom, though oft-repeated, is in fact incorrect. The three names are Imogen, the heroine of Cymbeline; and Olivia and Viola, the heroines of Twelfth Night. All three of these names pre-date Shakespeare’s use. Further, we show in two of the three cases that it is plausible that Shakespeare was familiar with this earlier usage.

For more quotes about names, check out the name quotes category.

Numerology: Baby names with a value of 6

Baby names with a numerological value of 6

If you’re on the hunt for baby names with a numerological value of 6, you’re in luck! Because today’s post features hundreds of 6-names.

Before we get to the names, though — how do we know that they’re “sixes” in numerology?

Turning names into numbers

Here’s how to calculate the numerological value of a name.

First, for each letter, come up with a number to represent that letter’s position in the alphabet. (Letter A would be number 1, letter B would be number 2, and so forth.) Then, add all the numbers together. If the sum has two or more digits, add the digits together recursively until the result is a single digit. That single digit is the name’s numerological value.

For instance, the letters in the name Weston correspond to the numbers 23, 5, 19, 20, 15, and 14. The sum of these numbers is 96. The digits of 96 added together equal 15, and the digits of 15 added together equal 6 — the numerological value of Weston.

Baby names with a value of 6

Below you’ll find the most popular 6-names per gender, according to the latest U.S. baby name data. I’ve further sub-categorized them by total sums — just in case any of those larger numbers are significant to anyone.

6

The letters in the following baby names add up to 6.

Girl name (6)Boy names (6)
AdaAbba, Baba

6 via 15

The letters in the following baby names add up to 15, which reduces to six (1+5=6).

Girl names (6 via 15)Boy names (6 via 15)
Aida, Alaa, Adia, An, AmaJad, Aadi, Gabe, An, Ej

6 via 24

The letters in the following baby names add up to 24, which reduces to six (2+4=6).

Girl names (6 via 24)Boy names (6 via 24)
Ava, Alaia, Maia, Nia, Hana, Rae, Amia, Dara, Kaci, Edna, Ani, FaigaIan, Dean, Aden, Dane, Kal

6 via 33

The letters in the following baby names add up to 33, which reduces to six (3+3=6).

Girl names (6 via 33)Boy names (6 via 33)
Kali, Mabel, Anahi, Mara, Alena, Shea, Andie, Vaeda, Adira, Aimee, Alara, Adhara, Arie, Daria, Elana, Bracha, Blanca, Hawa, Shae, Avia, Diane, Eira, Leana, Adria, Dasha, Amen, Amaiah, Eman, NahiaAiden, Isaac, Wade, Kobe, Fabian, Sam, Abdiel, Amar, Shea, Don, Said, Fred, Aram, Arie, Alfie, Fabio, Amen, Jin, Eidan, Adair

6 via 42

The letters in the following baby names add up to 42, which reduces to six (4+2=6).

Girl names (6 via 42)Boy names (6 via 42)
Eliana, Maria, Cecilia, Callie, Amira, Lilah, Elaina, Blair, Maggie, Esme, Amari, Anaya, Nola, Jemma, Macy, Emani, Arden, Ayana, Abril, Jhene, Aanya, Meera, Alisa, Rain, Amarah, Alex, Adalina, Maeva, Khalia, Rio, Kaliah, Dawn, Ileana, Katia, Janice, Danni, Nailea, Madina, Analeah, Evan, Cianna, Rian, Teddi, Rebel, Lili, Delta, Eevee, Maira, Neva, Rina, Sima, Lark, Aseel, LeighaAxel, Damian, Evan, Amari, Alex, Joel, Nash, Andre, Odin, Deacon, Jalen, Ayaan, Rio, Ander, Casen, Heath, Ameer, Dion, Eren, Cedric, Rene, Jacari, Aayan, Arden, Rian, Mikah, Cru, Hans, Axle, Karl, Sami, Aamir, Malek, Aven, Makhi, Nakoa, Ansh, Rain, Ori, Blair, Kanaan, Alias, Arin, Damani, Javi, Asim, Bakari, Talha, Azan

6 via 51

The letters in the following baby names add up to 51, which reduces to six (5+1=6).

Girl names (6 via 51)Boy names (6 via 51)
Layla, Delilah, Lydia, Myla, Khloe, Phoebe, Camilla, Charli, Maren, Elora, Nalani, Davina, Haley, Thalia, Irene, Jolie, Paula, Greta, Darcy, Claudia, Aiyana, Dixie, Lianna, Inaaya, Alannah, Caylee, Aubri, Zaina, Eris, Naveah, Tahlia, Amariah, Ameerah, Irina, Amerie, Nariah, Leora, Sidra, Asher, Heidy, Alanni, Flor, Cambrie, Taliah, Jelani, Karli, Emarie, Leanne, Finlee, Kamya, Kalaya, Anaiya, Nomi, Navaeh, Navie, ChanyMichael, Asher, Raiden, Hugo, Jamir, Ledger, Boone, Rome, Issac, Lachlan, Gary, Davian, Deandre, Adrien, Mikael, Gray, Jeriah, Sire, Ansel, Micheal, Lyam, Rashad, Jahseh, Jelani, Darien, Mars, Aariv, Masiah, Denis, Reggie, Ishan, Andrei, Freddie, Kainoa, Kallan, Evian, Omer, Von, Maddex, Rihaan, Robbie, Samael, Amarii, Kyan, Price, Clive, Derian

6 via 60

The letters in the following baby names add up to 60, which reduces to six (6+0=6).

Girl names (6 via 60)Boy names (6 via 60)
Hailey, Millie, Kehlani, Wren, Raven, Matilda, Skye, Nylah, Emely, Averie, Miranda, Selene, Novah, Fallon, Zora, Keziah, Rori, Azul, Maribel, Selina, Mirabel, Petra, Emori, Aashvi, Diamond, Juno, Aryana, Janiya, Judy, Raleigh, Kamiya, Isabell, Abriella, Dayanna, Desire, Eliora, Jannat, Khelani, Hindy, Kayden, Mylee, Camdyn, Nahomi, Aribella, Samaya, Marnie, Zamara, Daliyah, Eliyah, Kavya, Solei, Razan, Corina, Rocio, Maeleigh, Haylie, Caydence, Dakotah, Zenaida, BerlinLandon, Silas, Thiago, Kayden, Enzo, Grant, Bryan, Ibrahim, Ruben, Kason, Moshe, Lucian, Samir, Riggs, Cillian, Devon, Darren, Yahya, Wren, Billy, Benny, Maxim, Nikko, Camdyn, Viraj, Osiel, Lucio, Revan, Kiyan, Aaryan, Carsen, Hernan, Rayaan, Daryl, Aditya, Salman, Bennet, Viggo, Nolen, Genaro, Raleigh, Skye, Shamar, Markel, Emmit, Jahmari, Tobin, Raven, Diamond, Whit, Sven, Kaedyn, Novah, Jibril, Jayse, Cylas, Azaire

6 via 69

The letters in the following baby names add up to 69, which reduces to six (6+9=15; 1+5=6).

Girl names (6 via 69)Boy names (6 via 69)
Riley, Stella, Lillian, Parker, Oakley, Celeste, Harley, Giselle, Rylie, Katalina, Cameron, Maliyah, Addilyn, Laurel, Amoura, Henley, Giavanna, Miller, Janessa, Odette, Sally, Shanaya, Bayleigh, Priya, Zaynab, Audriana, Kaniyah, Saniya, Ziyah, Noura, Samirah, Lenore, Miamor, Jasper, Anastacia, Esty, Ariyana, Ayzel, Zarina, Keisy, Elyza, Ginny, Maevis, LuizaCameron, Jeremiah, Parker, Jasper, Brayden, Riley, Griffin, Malcolm, Hector, Oakley, Marcos, Kaison, Leandro, Miller, Conner, Benson, Kannon, Leonard, Kyro, Alvaro, Joziah, Evander, Castiel, Colten, Rhodes, Harley, Korbin, Darwin, Bishop, Howard, Achilles, Kyaire, Yaseen, Kenny, Tayden, Kalvin, Aston, Vivaan, Smith, Ruger, Linkin, Henley, Kyran, Cordell, Lonnie, Jaydon, Knight, Hendrik, Kory, Aayansh, Neizan, Ulices, Lowen, Croix, Erwin, Azekiel, Ayaansh, Arlow

6 via 78

The letters in the following baby names add up to 78, which reduces to six (7+8=15; 1+5=6).

Girl names (6 via 78)Boy names (6 via 78)
Genesis, Kennedy, Madilyn, Esmeralda, Melissa, Viviana, Scarlet, Julieta, Oaklyn, Kayleigh, Florence, Scout, Leilany, Estelle, Berkley, Harmoni, Jazmine, Leylani, Tilly, Corinne, Avyanna, Aislinn, Montana, Onyx, Harlyn, Louella, Yesenia, Kenzlee, Batsheva, Taryn, Haisleigh, Rylin, Zulema, Karissa, October, Yohanna, Renleigh, Karson, Pauline, Nazly, TaniyahRobert, Emiliano, Tucker, Patrick, Colson, Daxton, Karson, Onyx, Troy, Dominick, Vicente, Shmuel, Genesis, Scout, Shimon, Seamus, Renzo, Antoine, Montana, Kennedy, Darryl, Braulio, Chester, Gerson, Muhammed, Myheir, Rhyder, Domenico, Shulem, Zyir, Shakur, Callaway, Luqman, Oaklyn, Lennix, Bently, Jairus, Kazmir, Romelo

6 via 87

The letters in the following baby names add up to 87, which reduces to six (8+7=15; 1+5=6).

Girl names (6 via 87)Boy names (6 via 87)
Paisley, Everly, Mackenzie, Veronica, Journi, Marlowe, Marisol, Justice, Tallulah, Blessing, Maryjane, Brayleigh, Cattleya, Hermione, Lotus, Ashtyn, Unique, Cosette, Xitlali, Lilyann, Sequoia, Priscila, Layton, Philippa, Lizzie, Grettel, Lynnlee, Yocheved, Roxanna, Truth, Ellarose, Ellory, JaylynVincent, Victor, Joaquin, Stephen, Sonny, Kolton, Braylon, Dustin, Layton, Justice, Junior, Wylder, Maxton, Niklaus, Mayson, Sultan, Truth, Clinton, Truman, Hampton, Ashtyn, Cortez, Artist, Konnor, Geovanni, Matheus, Neythan, Mackenzie, Zavion, Monty, Zaylin, Yasser, Yeison, Jayvon, Javonte, Dempsey, Geoffrey, Yossi, Binyamin, Priest

6 via 96

The letters in the following baby names add up to 96, which reduces to six (9+6=15; 1+5=6).

Girl names (6 via 96)Boy names (6 via 96)
Destiny, Mallory, Blessyn, Shirley, Blakelynn, Kristen, Vivianne, Journii, Kirsten, TrulyWeston, Stanley, Ernesto, Knowledge, Turner, Krishiv, Pierson, Townes, Jayvion, Muhammadali, Allister, Rexton, Sylus, Triton, Nikolaos, Murray, Kolsyn

6 via 105

The letters in the following baby names add up to 105, which reduces to six (1+0+5=6).

Girl names (6 via 105)Boy names (6 via 105)
Wynter, Dorothy, Esperanza, Christine, Huntley, Lovelyn, Viktoria, CypressLorenzo, Maximilian, Gustavo, Xzavier, Tristen, Cypress, Johnathon, Giovonni, Huntley, Tytus

6 via 114

The letters in the following baby names add up to 114, which reduces to six (1+1+4=6).

Girl names (6 via 114)Boy names (6 via 114)
Rosemary, Jazzlyn, Brynnleigh, Treazure, VittoriaWinston, Princeton, Demetrius, Juancarlos, Townsend

6 via 123

The letters in the following baby names add up to 123, which reduces to six (1+2+3=6).

Girl names (6 via 123)Boy names (6 via 123)
Monserrat, Riverlyn, Antoinette, Kimberlynn, QuetzalliGrizzly, Johnthomas, Maxamillion, Lovensky, Timmothy

Number 6: Significance and associations

What does the number six mean in numerology?

There’s no definitive answer, unfortunately, because various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number six. That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 6 being described as “harmonious,” “loving,” “stable,” “compassionate,” and “responsible.”

We can also look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are some things that are associated with the number 6:

  • Snowflake (six-fold symmetry)
  • Beehive (six-sided cells)
  • Guitar (6 strings)
  • Football (6 points for a touchdown)
  • Ice hockey (6 players per side, including the goalie)
  • Cube (six faces)
  • Six degrees of separation (the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from one other)

What does the number 6 mean to you? What are your strongest associations with the number?

P.S. To see names with other numerological values, check out the posts for the numbers one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, and nine.

Sources: SSA, Numerology – Cafe Astrology, The meaning of the numbers 1 – 9 – World Numerology, 6 – Wikipedia

[Latest update: Jan. 2024]

How to pronounce French names: Anaïs, Étienne, Guillaume, Hélène

Lavender field in France

At first glance, Guillaume always looks like gobbledygook to me. It’s the French form of William — that much I know — but it takes a few seconds for me to remember that it’s pronounced ghee-ohm, not not gwill-awm or gwee-awm.

And it’s not just Guillaume that trips me up. I find many other French names (Étienne, Edwige, Anaïs, etc.) equally tricky to pronounce.

So for those of us who struggle with French names, here are some simplified rules of French pronunciation, plus names to illustrate each rule.

This list is far from comprehensive, and my pronunciations are just approximations, but hopefully my fellow non-French speakers out there will find it helpful nonetheless.

French Pronunciation + French Names

AU: The vowel combination “AU” is pronounced like a long o.

  • Paul, in French, is pronounced pohl.
  • Margaux, a French form of Margaret, is pronounced mar-goh.

CH: The letter combination “CH” is typically pronounced sh.

  • Charles, in French, is pronounced shahrl.

D, P, S, T, X, Z: The six consonants “D,” “P,” “S,” “T,” “X” and “Z,” when at the end of a word, are typically silent.

  • Arnaud, the French form of Arnold, is pronounced ar-noh.
  • Denis, the French form of Dennis, is pronounced de-nee (remember that Blondie song?).
  • Lucas, in French, is pronounced loo-kah.
  • Louis, in French, is pronounced loo-ee (think Louis Vuitton).

…They’re not always silent, though. Here are some exceptions:

  • Alois, the French form of Aloysius, is pronounced ah-loh-ees.
  • Anaïs, a French form of Anna, is pronounced ah-nah-ees.
  • David, in French, is pronounced dah-veed.

Ë: The pronunciation of “Ë” (E with a trema) is like the e in the English word “bet.”

  • Gaël and Gaëlle are pronounced gah-el or gai-el.
  • Joël and Joëlle are pronounced zhoh-el.
  • Maël and Maëlle are pronounced mah-el or mai-el.
  • Noël and Noëlle are pronounced noh-el.

É: The pronunciation of “É” (E with an acute accent) is somewhere between the ee in “see” and the e in “bet.”

  • Noé, the French masculine form of Noah, is pronounced noh-ee.
  • Salomé, in French, is pronounced sah-loh-mee.

G: The consonant “G” is soft (zh) when followed by “E” or “I” but hard (gh) otherwise.

  • Georges, the French form of George, is pronounced zhorzh.
  • Guy, in French, is pronounced ghee.

H: The consonant “H” is silent.

  • Hélène, the French form of Helen, is pronounced eh-lehn.

I: The vowel “I,” and the forms Ï, and Î, are all pronounced ee.

  • Loïc, a French form of Louis, is pronounced loh-eek.

J: The consonant “J” is pronounced zh.

  • Jacques, the French form of Jacob, is pronounced zhahk.

LL: The letter combination “LL” is typically pronounced like an l.

  • Achille, the French form of Achilles, is pronounced ah-sheel.
  • Lucille, the French form of Lucilla, is pronounced loo-seel.

…But in some cases “LL” is pronounced like a y.

  • Guillaume, the French form of William, is pronounced ghee-yohm or ghee-ohm.

OI: The vowel combination “OI” is pronounced wah.

  • Antoine, the French form of Antony, is pronounced an-twahn.
  • Grégoire, the French form of Gregory, is pronounced gre-gwahr.

OU: The vowel combination “OU” is pronounced oo.

  • Lilou is pronounced lee-loo.

R: The consonant “R,” when at the end of a word, is typically pronounced.

  • Clair, the French masculine form of Claire, is pronounced kler.
  • Edgar, in French, is pronounced ed-gahr.

…When the “R” is preceded by an “E,” though, it is not pronounced.

  • Gauthier, the French form of Walter, is pronounced goh-tee-yay or goh-tyay (remember Gotye?).
  • Olivier, the French form of Oliver, is pronounced oh-lee-vee-yay or oh-lee-vyay (think Laurence Olivier).

TH: The letter combination “TH” is typically pronounced like a t (which makes sense, since “H” is silent).

  • Thibault, the French form of Theobald, is pronounced tee-boh.

TI: The letter combination “TI” is sometimes pronounced like an s or sy.

  • Laëtitia is pronounced lay-tee-sya.

W: The consonant “W” is pronounced like a v.

  • Edwige, the French form of Hedwig, is pronounced ed-veezh.

And finally, just a few more French names that I tend to have trouble with.

  • Anatole is pronounced ah-nah-tohl.
  • Étienne, the French form of Stephen, is pronounced eh-tyen.
  • Geoffroy, the French form of Geoffrey, is pronounced zho-fwah.
  • Ghislain and Ghislaine are pronounced either ghee-len or zheez-len.
  • Ignace, the French form of Ignatius, is pronounced ee-nyas.

*

Those aren’t too hard, right?

That’s what I tell myself…and then I come across Guillaume in the wild and my mind goes blank all over again. :)

If you know French and would like to add to the above (either another rule of pronunciation or a more precise pronunciation for a particular name) please leave a comment.

If you’re not a French speaker, here’s my question: Which French name gives you the most trouble?

P.S. Interested in seeing how popular the French names above are in the U.S.? Here are some popularity graphs: Alois, Achille, Anaïs, Anatole, Antoine, Arnaud, Clair, Denis, Edwige, Étienne, Gaël/Gaëlle, Georges, Grégoire, Guillaume, Guy, Hélène, Ignace, Jacques, Laëtitia, Lilou, Loïc, Lucille, Maël/Maëlle, Margaux, Noé, Olivier, Salomé, Thibault.

Sources: Beginning French Pronunciation, French e, è, é, ê, ë – what’s the difference?, Google Translate

Image: Adapted from Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, 2022 by Chris Down under CC BY 4.0.

[Latest update: July 2023]