By Denis Riordin
Oct. 9 was the feast day of Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris, France. St. Denis is best known for being a martyr for the Catholic faith and was beheaded along with two other clergy companions.
Legend states that after his head was cut off, St. Denis picked it up and walked several miles from the summit of the hill, preaching a sermon the entire way. The site where he stopped preaching and actually died was marked by a small shrine that developed into the St. Denis Basilica, the burial place for the kings of France.
During my Monday celebrations for the saint that bears my name, I began to think of the long debate about the correct spelling of my name, and I’m here to settle it right now. I’m sick and tired of hearing my friends say that I spell my own name wrong.
The correct way to spell it is with one “n,” not two. One! How do I know this? Simple, ladies and gentlemen; it’s called facts.
The etymology of my name first traces back to the Medieval French name “Denys.” Over time, the “y” eventually changed to an “i.” From there, Denys can be traced back to the Greco-Roman name of Dionysius, the god of wine, theatre and ritual madness. Through the years, there has only been one “n” in the name.
So, I decided to look at the etymology of “Dennis” on behindthename.com and under the “History and Meaning” tab there was a link to “Denis.” It stated that Denis was Anglicized into Dennis, and it’s always the English causing the trouble. How sad.
The debate is finally over. The correct way to spell my name is with one “n,” and the etymology proves it.
riordada14@bonaventure.edu
