Dennison is a name of English origin that has been used primarily for boys throughout history. The name Dennison is derived from the Old English personal name Denewulf, which is composed of two elements: "dene" meaning valley and "wulf" meaning wolf. Therefore, the name Dennison means "valley wolf."
The name Dennison first appeared in medieval England during the Middle Ages. It was initially a nickname given to individuals who lived near valleys or had qualities associated with wolves such as strength and ferocity. Over time, the name evolved from a nickname to a hereditary surname.
In literature, there have been several characters named Dennison throughout history, including Dennison Morel in "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson and Dennison Smith in "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. However, these works did not significantly influence the popularity or meaning of the name Dennison.
Today, Dennison is still used as both a first name and surname. It is considered a unique and distinctive name choice for boys, although it remains relatively uncommon compared to other English names such as John or William. Overall, Dennison is a strong and memorable name with a rich history dating back to medieval England.
Based on the statistics provided for the name Dennison in the United States from 1915 to 2023, we can observe several trends:
* The popularity of the name Dennison fluctuated significantly throughout the century. The highest number of births recorded was 18 in 1988, while some years saw as few as 5 births (e.g., 1947, 2003, and 2010).
* The name's popularity peaked twice: once during the late 1940s to early 1950s with a significant increase in births from 9 in 1942 to a peak of 18 in 1988, and again in the late 1970s to early 1980s, starting at 6 births in 1979 and peaking at 15 births in 1985.
* After the mid-1980s, the popularity of the name Dennison began to decline steadily. Since the year 2000, there have been fewer than 10 births each year, with some years recording as few as 5 births (e.g., 2003 and 2010).
* Despite its fluctuations in popularity, the name Dennison has maintained a consistent presence throughout the century, with at least one birth recorded every year between 1915 and 2023.
In total, there have been 753 births of the name Dennison in the United States from 1915 to 2023.