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Denver

♀ Girl

Pronounced DEN-ver /ˈdɛn.vər/High

Meaning: English surname, possibly from French Anvers (Antwerp) or Old English, meaning 'green valley'Medium

In 30 seconds: An English surname of debated origin, most famous as the name of Colorado's capital. As a given name it evokes wide-open Western landscapes and mountain air.

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Origin MediumEnglish, French

MeaningEnglish surname, possibly from French Anvers (Antwerp) or Old English, meaning 'green valley'

U.S. rank (2025)#836 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births326 girls (0.02% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2021

Total births (all-time)≈ 4,235

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Denver is an English surname of uncertain etymology. One theory connects it to a place in Norfolk, England, possibly from Old English denu (valley) + faer (passage). Another links the surname to French Anvers (Antwerp). The Colorado city was named for James W. Denver in 1858, before Colorado was a state.

Denver appeared in U.S. baby-name data from the late 20th century as a Western place-name given name, used mainly for boys. From the 2010s it began crossing to girls, reaching #775 in 2024 female data — part of the same trend that elevated Austin, Dallas, and Laramie as given names.

Did you know? Denver, Colorado, was named after James W. Denver (1817–1892), governor of Kansas Territory, as a political compliment — at the time, Denver was actually in Kansas Territory, not yet Colorado.

Overall data confidence 78%

Behind the Name — Denver — etymologyU.S. Social Security Administration — popularity data

Variations

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Nicknames

DenDenny

Famous Bearers

★Denver (fictional) (fictional, 1987)
Denver is the daughter of Sethe in Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel Beloved (1987), one of the most celebrated works in American literature, which examines the legacy of slavery through the lives of Black Americans in post–Civil War Ohio. She is named after Amy Denver, the young white woman who helped Sethe give birth to her while both were fleeing enslavement — a debt of humanity that Sethe honors by bestowing the benefactor's surname as her daughter's given name. In the 1998 film adaptation directed by Jonathan Demme, Denver is played by Kimberly Elise opposite Oprah Winfrey as Sethe, and the character has been widely studied as a symbol of the rising generation's capacity to reclaim identity and community in the face of inherited trauma.

If you like Denver…

Dallas— Texas city name in the same Western place-name first-name trend

Austin— Texas capital name used as a given name with similar rugged energy

Laramie— Wyoming city name trending as a girls' name in the same movement

Cheyenne— Western city name with a long history as a given name

Aspen— Colorado mountain town name used as a nature-adjacent given name

Explore names like Denver

By themeamerican unisex place-name surname-style western

By meaningEarth / Nature

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Denver mean?

Denver's exact etymology is uncertain — possibly from Old English meaning 'green valley,' or linked to French Anvers (Antwerp). It is most famous as the name of Colorado's capital.

How do you pronounce Denver?

It's said DEN-ver — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Denver a boy or girl name?

Denver is used for both sexes and has been growing for girls since the 2010s.

How popular is Denver?

Denver ranked #775 for U.S. girls in 2024.