Dennis

Dennis
This famous surname recorded in almost every European country since the late Middle Ages, and in such forms as Dennis, Dionis, and Denes, with patronymics Addionisio, Denisov, and Dzeniskevich, is of pre Christian, Ancient Greek origins. It derives from "Dionysios" meaning "the divine one of Nysa", a reference to an early god, who was believed to be the protector of the vine. It is also said that Nysa was a mountain in the modern Afghanistan, where celebrations were held by the Greek army of Alexander, The Great. Whilst St Denis, the bishop of Paris, France, was an early Christian martyr of the 3rd century a.d., it must be said that like most surnames of Christian origins, the "modern" surname owes its popularity to the famous "crusades" of the 12th century, when successive European kings launched expeditions to free the Holy Land from the Saracens. All were unsuccessful, but returning warriors and pilgrims commemorated their exploits by naming their children after ancient or biblical heroes, some of whom only had the very faintest of associations with Christianity. The first country in the world to adopt both hereditary surnames and proper register recordings was England, and it is there that we find the earliest examples of this surname. The first recording of the family name anywhere in the world and in any spelling is believed to be that of Walter Denys, a witness in the year 1272, at the Assize Court of the county of Staffordshire. This was during the reign of King Henry 111 of England, 1216 - 1272. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" in their spellings, often leading to astonishing variants of the original.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Dennis — or Denis is either the first or last name of a male derived from the Greco Roman name Dionysius meaning servant of Dionysus ,[citation needed] the Thracian god of wine, which is ultimately derived from the Greek Dios (Διός, of Zeus ) combined… …   Wikipedia

  • Dennis — ist ein männlicher Vorname, der auch als Familienname Verwendung findet. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Herkunft und Bedeutung 2 Namenstag 3 Varianten 4 Bekannte Namensträger …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dennis P. — Dennis P. Language Dutch Dennis P. (or Denis ) is the name police used to identify the 25 year old man and former employee Dennis Phrommer of diamond trade company Gassan Diamonds in Amsterdam who committed a spectacular theft of 8137 diamonds,… …   Wikipedia

  • Dennis — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Dennis hace referencia a: Dennis Bergkamp, futbolista holandés; Dennis Conner, regatista estadounidense; Dennis Hopper, actor estadounidense; Dennis Rodman, jugador de baloncesto estadounidense; Obtenido de Dennis… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dennis — Dennis, OK U.S. Census Designated Place in Oklahoma Population (2000): 185 Housing Units (2000): 217 Land area (2000): 4.520327 sq. miles (11.707592 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.002616 sq. miles (0.006776 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.522943 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Dennis — Dennis, Nigel * * * (as used in expressions) Mitchell, Peter Dennis Potter, Dennis (Christopher George) Ruth Dennis …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Dennis Yu — Yun kong (余允抗 is a Hong Kong film director active in the 1980s, and a crucial member of Hong Kong New Wave. He is most famous for directing horror movies. The Imp (兇榜, 1981), Yu s horror movie with strong influence of Roman Polanski, is widely… …   Wikipedia

  • Dennis, MA — U.S. Census Designated Place in Massachusetts Population (2000): 2798 Housing Units (2000): 2322 Land area (2000): 4.898472 sq. miles (12.686984 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.172136 sq. miles (0.445830 sq. km) Total area (2000): 5.070608 sq. miles …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Dennis, OK — U.S. Census Designated Place in Oklahoma Population (2000): 185 Housing Units (2000): 217 Land area (2000): 4.520327 sq. miles (11.707592 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.002616 sq. miles (0.006776 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.522943 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Dennis — Dennis, 1) Städtischer Bezirk mit Postamt (Post township) in der Grafschaft Barnstable im Staate Massachusetts (Nordamerika); 3300 Ew.; 2) Städtischer Bezirk mit Postamt in der Grafschaft Cape May im Staate New Jersey; 1800 Ew.; 3) (D. Creek),… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Dennis — Dennis, John, engl. Dramatiker und Kritiker, geb. 1657 in London, gest. 6. Jan. 1734, studierte in Harrow und Cambridge, machte Reisen und widmete sich der Literatur, besonders der dramatischen, wenn mich ohne besondern Erfolg. Besser sind seine… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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