Denis is the French form of Dionysius, a Greek name meaning "follower of Dionysus", the god of wine; it is also the standard spelling in Russia, Croatia and much of Eastern Europe. St. Denis, the first bishop of Paris and patron saint of France, is honored on October 9. In the United States the one-n spelling has always trailed Dennis: number 1220 in 2000, a best rank of number 1076 in 2003 and number 1712 in 2025.