Denis

Denis is a French and broader European form of the Latin name Dionysius, itself derived from the Greek Dionysios, meaning "follower of Dionysus" or "of Dionysus," the Greek god of wine and festivity whose name may combine the divine element Dios, relating to Zeus, with Nysa, the mythical mountain where he was raised. The name was borne by several early Christian saints, most influentially Saint Denis, the third-century bishop of Paris who became the patron saint of France, making the name widely popular throughout medieval Europe. It spread across French, Russian, English, German, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Romanian, Croatian, and Albanian traditions, with the Brazilian Portuguese variant spelled Dênis. Related forms include Dennis, Denys, Dionysus, Dionysius, and the feminine form Denise.