Fun Facts About the Name Deneen
- More than 3 thousand babies named Deneen: U.S. records list 3,610 babies given the name Deneen from 1880 through 2025. Even 7 boys received the name Deneen - about 1 boy for every 515 girls.
What Does the Name Deneen Mean?
Deneen is an anglicized Irish surname derived from Gaelic Ó Duinnín, "descendant of Duinnín." Duinnín is a diminutive of donn, which usually means "brown" or "dark" in Irish; the personal name can therefore be rendered "little brown one" or "little dark one." A less common gloss treats donn as "chief," giving "little chief," but the brown or dark sense is the usual explanation.
Deneen is one of several English spellings of the same surname, alongside Dineen and Dinneen. In the Gaelic name the Ó marks a patronymic, so the surname identifies a family as descendants of a man called Duinnín rather than describing the family itself as "brown."
Deneen Name History & Origins
The Gaelic surname Ó Duinnín belongs to the Irish patronymic system, in which Ó plus an ancestor's name means "descendant of." In Munster the family was associated with the MacCarthys, and members of the Ó Duinnín learned family served as hereditary historians. The anglicized forms Dineen and Dinneen are found in Irish-English usage; Deneen represents the same surname with a different English spelling of the unstressed first vowel.
In Ireland Deneen is chiefly a surname. The given name is an English-language use of that surname, and Deneen appears as a feminine first name in the United States. The related spelling Dinneen is borne by the Irish lexicographer Patrick S. Dinneen (1860 - 1934), whose Irish name was Pádraig Ó Duinnín; his surname illustrates the family name's later history but is not the source of the given name.
How Popular is the Name Deneen?
Deneen recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1964. Its best rank was #216 in 1964.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | #18,360 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #15,685 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #13,111 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #11,150 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #10,864 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #8,953 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #6,067 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #6,034 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #9,701 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #8,779 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #4,912 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1989 | #4,149 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1988 | #5,986 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #4,713 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #4,227 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1985 | #4,008 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1984 | #3,095 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1983 | #2,925 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1982 | #2,850 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 1981 | #4,191 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1980 | #3,745 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1979 | #3,364 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 1978 | #4,311 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #2,848 | 28 | 0.0018% |
| 1976 | #2,617 | 30 | 0.0020% |
| 1975 | #2,280 | 36 | 0.0025% |
| 1974 | #2,142 | 38 | 0.0026% |
| 1973 | #2,029 | 40 | 0.0027% |
| 1972 | #2,238 | 34 | 0.0022% |
| 1971 | #1,396 | 76 | 0.0046% |
| 1970 | #1,309 | 82 | 0.0047% |
| 1969 | #1,050 | 109 | 0.0065% |
| 1968 | #875 | 138 | 0.0084% |
| 1967 | #796 | 157 | 0.0095% |
| 1966 | #641 | 223 | 0.0132% |
| 1965 | #465 | 421 | 0.0239% |
| 1964 | #216 | 1,604 | 0.0847% |
| 1963 | #2,637 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1962 | #2,838 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1961 | #2,560 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1960 | #2,385 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1959 | #2,412 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1958 | #2,398 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1957 | #5,021 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #3,743 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1955 | #3,252 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1954 | #2,805 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1953 | #3,152 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1952 | #4,204 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #4,978 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #4,414 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #4,877 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | #3,357 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with D
How the Name Deneen Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Deneen's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Deneen's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.