Tenney
Usually an English surname from the pet form Denny, ultimately linked to the given name Dennis/Denis.
The #4,868 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,656 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest historical explanation treats Tenney as an unvoiced form of Denny, itself a pet form of Dennis. Dennis comes through Norman French from the medieval personal name Denis, ultimately from Greek Dionysios, meaning “of Dionysus.” Some 19th-century writers also suggested a separate Irish-looking explanation in which Tenney could relate to Irish Teann, but that is not the main English surname derivation.
History
The name appears in English records as a spelling variant alongside forms like Tenny and Tennison. It is most at home in Britain, especially in English counties, and later spread to North America through migration. In the United States it has remained relatively uncommon, though recognizable as a longstanding surname rather than a modern coinage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries explicitly gloss Tenney as essentially “the son of Dennis,” showing how close it is to the Dennis family of names.
From the historical record
“TENNISON ; q.v. TENNEY, an unvoiced form of Denney, q.v. TEN N I EL is prob. to be referred to the French (Cher) village - name Theniou (form. Theniot), a dim. f. a dial. var. of chine, ' oak-tree '. TENNISWOOD. Bel. to Tenniswood, app. Yorks and for 'Dennis's Wood'. TEN NY, an unvoiced form of Denny, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)