Denis

Denis comes through Dionysius, a Greek personal name referring to Dionysus, the god associated with wine. The name later became deeply established in Christian tradition through Saint Denis, the patron saint associated with France. Its ancient linguistic origin and its later religious dedication are distinct parts of the same history.

The Normans carried the French name into England, where Dennis became a familiar spelling. Denis remains established in several languages, with pronunciations that can differ substantially from English DEN-iss. Denys is another related form. A family choosing Denis may therefore be preserving a French or other European tradition rather than simply removing a letter from Dennis.