The Name Denis
Denis is a male name of Greek origin meaning “devoted to Dionysus”. Below are the forms of the name, name days in the Orthodox calendar, character by tradition, numerology, the first letter, talismans and compatibility with other names.
Origin and meaning
Denis is a male name of Greek origin. Meaning: “devoted to Dionysus”. A folk form of the name Dionisiy, from the Greek Διονύσιος, “belonging to Dionysus”.
In the church calendar the name is written as Dionisiy: this is the name used at baptism and in church.
Forms of the name
| Full form | Denis |
| Church form | Dionisiy |
| Short forms | Deniska, Denya |
| Affectionate forms | Denisushka |
Name days (angel’s day)
| October 16 | Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite |
A name day is the feast of the saint after whom a person was baptised. If several saints share the name, custom is to celebrate the first feast after the birthday. Shown here are the main feasts in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, with civil (Gregorian) dates.
Character by tradition
In name descriptions, Denis is lively, cheerful and sociable — the life and soul of the party. He is generous, loves a celebration and knows how to enjoy life. He can be quick-tempered and inconstant. His strength is his zest for life and friendliness.
Name numerology
Letters of the name Denis («Денис») in the Russian 1–9 table: Д 5 + Е 6 + Н 6 + И 1 + С 1 = 19 → 1. The sum is reduced to one digit; the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are kept.
Name number 1 — will and leadership. One is the number of the first: independence, initiative, readiness to answer for decisions. It is easier for the bearer to start and lead than to adapt; the weak spot is stubbornness and impatience with other people’s pace.
Vowels give the soul number 7 (analysis and intuition), consonants the personality number 3 (communication and creativity). Inner motive: analysis and intuition; outer manner: communication and creativity. Such a gap is not bad in itself: others see one side, close people know the other.
In Slavic Cyrillic numerals (using the modern spelling of the name): Д=4 + Е=5 + Н=50 + И=8 + С=200 = 267, reduced to 6. Letters that had no numeric value are skipped. This is an additional digit, not a second name number: meanings for the Cyrillic numerals were added in the 20th century, modeled on Western numerology.
More: name number with surname, Slavic Cyrillic numerals, number meanings.
First letter and letters of the name
In letter reading — a popular tradition of interpreting letters — the first letter of the name matters most: it sets the main tone of character. The other letters add shades.
Д — prudence and family. Think first, act later; oriented to home and family, ready to help, but also capricious.
Other letters: Е — self-expression; Н — strong character and protest; И — refinement and kindness; С — common sense.
Talismans of the name
Name books usually derive talismans from the name number and its planet; lists differ between authors. Here we follow Cheiro (“Book of Numbers”): number 1 is linked with the Sun.
| Planet | Sun |
| Stones | topaz, amber, yellow diamond |
| Colours | gold, yellow, orange |
| Favourable days | Sunday |
Compatibility with other names
In numerology, compatibility of names is judged by their numbers. Number 1 goes most easily with 2 and 6, and has more friction with 1 and 8.
Goes well with: Anastasiya, Angelina, Darya, Elizaveta, Zinaida, Lyubov, Margarita, Olesya, Svetlana.
More friction with: Alla, Galina, Larisa, Lidiya, Serafima, Tamara.
Check a couple precisely: compatibility by name.
Outcome
The name Denis carries the meaning “devoted to Dionysus”. Name number 1 — will and leadership; first letter D — prudence and family. Inner wishes (analysis and intuition) and outer manner (communication and creativity) differ: a person with this name needs close people to see more than what is shown. Name days: October 16.