Dennis Name Meaning
English: from the medieval personal name Den(n)is (Latin Dionysius, Greek Dionysios ‘(follower) of Dionysos’, an eastern god introduced to the classical pantheon at a relatively late date and bearing a name of probably Semitic origin). The name was borne by various early saints, including St Denis, the martyred 3rd-century bishop of Paris who became the patron of France; the popularity of the name in England from the 12th century onwards seems to have been largely due to French influence. The feminine form Dionysia (in the vernacular likewise Den(n)is) is also found, and some examples of the surname may represent a metronymic form. English: variant of Dench.
Irish (mainly Dublin and Cork): sometimes an alternative form to Donohue but more often to MacDonough, since the personal name Donnchadh was Anglicized as Donough or Denis. Irish (Ulster and Munster): Anglicized form of the rare Gaelic name Ó Donnghusa ‘descendant of Donnghus’, a personal name from donn ‘brown-haired man’ or ‘chieftain’ + gus ‘vigor’.
origin
This surname appears to have originated in either Gloucestershire or Devon, England.
The family is known to have branched into County Cork, Ireland.
other versions of this surname
from Private User
Samuel Dennis arrived in Virginia in 1735, received land grant in Kentucky, our branch move into Marshall Missouri before Civil War Came from Ireland but Dennis doesn't seem to be an Irish surname.
links
- http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/dd/dennis1.php (membership required to view without interruption)
- http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/dd/dennis2.php (membership required to view without interruption)
- http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/dd/dennis3.php (membership required to view without interruption)
- http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/bb4fz/bullen1.php#lklo (membership required to view without interruption)
- http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/ss4tz/swift02.php#dennis1 (membership required to view without interruption)