Dahlila
A feminine name of Semitic origin meaning "delicate" or "gentle".
Name Census estimates that about 290 living Americans carry the first name Dahlila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dahlila today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dahlila births was 2008 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dahlila. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
290
~ 1 in 1,181,912 Americans
Peak year
2008
35 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,433
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Dahlila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dahlila from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 151 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dahlila by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dahlila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dahlilas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dahlila
The name Dahlila is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Delilah, which originates from the biblical figure of the same name mentioned in the Book of Judges. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "dalal," meaning "to languish" or "to weaken."
In the biblical narrative, Delilah was a Philistine woman who betrayed her lover, Samson, by cutting off his hair, which was the source of his great strength. This act of betrayal ultimately led to Samson's capture and blindness at the hands of the Philistines. The story of Delilah and Samson has become a well-known tale in both Jewish and Christian traditions, and the name Dahlila/Delilah has taken on symbolic meanings related to betrayal, seduction, and the power of love.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Delilah can be found in the 16th century, when it appeared in the English translation of the Bible. The spelling variation "Dahlila" emerged later, likely influenced by other languages and cultures that adopted the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dahlila or its variants. For instance, Dahlila Llachi-Vizzuett (1953-2015) was a Mexican-American artist and educator known for her vibrant paintings depicting scenes from Mexican culture and folklore. Another notable figure is Dahlila Jalil (born 1970), a Malaysian politician and former member of the Malaysian Parliament.
In the realm of literature, the name Dahlila has been used by various authors, such as the American novelist Willa Cather, who featured a character named Dahlila in her 1925 novel "The Professor's House." Additionally, the British writer Roald Dahl named one of his daughters Dahlila, born in 1953.
Other individuals with the name Dahlila include Dahlila Bellas (born 1955), a French actress and singer, and Dahlila Weller (born 1970), a Canadian artist and photographer known for her work exploring themes of identity and cultural memory.
While the name Dahlila has its roots in biblical and religious contexts, it has transcended those origins and has been embraced by various cultures and societies, each adding their own unique interpretations and associations to the name.
People
Dahlila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dahlila as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dahlila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dahlila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 290 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dahlila going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,181,912 US residents.
Is Dahlila a common name?
We classify Dahlila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 293 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dahlila most popular?
The single biggest year for Dahlila was 2008, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dahlila is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dahlila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dahlila in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.