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The surname Denys was borne by at least three prominent mediaeval families seated in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Devon in southwest England between 1166 and 1641. It is not known if any relationship existed between these families. The surname Denys is just one of many variant spellings of the name: Denise, Le Deneis, Le Danies, le Deneys ,and most recently Dennis, are some of the others.
The family of Denys was apparently of Danish origin,[1] and was recorded in early Norman charters in French as le Deneys, meaning "The Dane", which was frequently Latinised by scribes as Dacus, being the adjectival form of Dacia, the mediaeval Latin for Denmark, thus "Danish".
- ^ See for example Fuller's "Worthies", quoted by the Duchess of Cleveland's Battle Abbey Roll