Darletha
A feminine given name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Darletha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Darletha today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darletha births was 1964 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darletha. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Darletha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
1964
9 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1971 SSA rank
#8,601
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Darletha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darletha from the 1950s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 17 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darletha 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 Darletha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darletha
The name Darletha is believed to have originated from the Germanic languages, potentially dating back to the 6th century or earlier. It is thought to be a combination of the Old German words "darl" meaning "noble" and "letha" which translates to "little." The name was likely first used in areas of modern-day Germany and surrounding regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Darletha appears in the "Chronicon Zwifaltense," a 12th-century chronicle written by the Benedictine monks of Zwiefalten Abbey in southern Germany. The chronicle mentions a noblewoman named Darletha von Hohenzollern, who lived in the late 11th century.
In the 14th century, a Darletha von Staufen is mentioned in historical records from the city of Cologne. She was a prominent figure in the city's guilds and is noted for her charitable work supporting local orphanages.
During the Renaissance period, there was a Darletha Fugger (1498-1564), a member of the wealthy Fugger family of merchants and bankers in Augsburg, Germany. She was known for her patronage of the arts and support of humanist scholars.
In the 17th century, Darletha Sophia von Oettingen (1627-1691) was a German noblewoman and abbess of the imperial Reichsstift of Lindau. She played a significant role in the governance and administration of the abbey during her tenure.
Another notable figure was Darletha von Württemberg (1671-1743), a German princess who served as the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen. She was instrumental in promoting cultural and educational initiatives in the duchy during her time as consort.
While the name Darletha has its roots in the Germanic languages, it has been used in various forms and spellings throughout history in different regions and cultures. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name, particularly in modern times, with its usage primarily concentrated in certain areas of Germany and Central Europe.
People
Darletha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darletha 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
Darletha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darletha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darletha 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 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Darletha a common name?
We classify Darletha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darletha most popular?
The single biggest year for Darletha was 1964, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darletha is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Darletha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darletha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darletha 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.
Is Darletha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darletha in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Darletha can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Darletha?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Darletha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.