Deelan
A masculine name of Gaelic origin meaning "brave" or "enduring".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Deelan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Deelan today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deelan births was 2013 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deelan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Deelan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Deelan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2013
7 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#9,898
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Deelan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Deelan 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 Deelan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Deelan
The name Deelan has its origins in the ancient Dravidian languages of southern India, dating back to around the 5th century BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Tamil word "theelam," meaning "bright" or "radiant." The earliest known use of the name can be traced to the Sangam literature, a collection of Tamil poetic works from this period.
In ancient Hindu texts, the name Deelan is associated with the concept of divine light and spiritual radiance. It appears in the Upanishads, a series of philosophical writings that form part of the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism. The name is also found in the Puranas, a vast collection of ancient Indian legends and myths.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Deelan was a renowned Tamil poet and scholar who lived in the 7th century CE. Known as Deelan Adigal, he was a celebrated figure in the Shaivite tradition of Hinduism and authored several works on the philosophy of Shaivism.
During the medieval period, the name Deelan gained popularity among the ruling dynasties of southern India. One notable figure was Deelan Raya, a powerful king of the Vijayanagar Empire who ruled in the 15th century. He was known for his military prowess and for patronizing the arts and literature.
In more recent times, the name Deelan has been carried by several notable individuals from various fields. Deelan Rangarajan (1916-2001) was an acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer, renowned for her contributions to the Bharatanatyam dance form. Deelan Naidoo (born 1936) is a South African activist and former political prisoner who played a significant role in the anti-apartheid movement.
Other notable individuals with the name Deelan include Deelan Shan (born 1951), a Malaysian singer and actor; Deelan Mahendran (born 1972), a Sri Lankan cricketer; and Deelan Pathmanathan (born 1976), a British-born filmmaker and director of Sri Lankan descent.
People
Deelan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deelan 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
Deelan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deelan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deelan 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Deelan a common name?
We classify Deelan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deelan most popular?
The single biggest year for Deelan was 2013, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deelan is about 13 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 Deelan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deelan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deelan in the SSA data are male. 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 Deelan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deelan 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 Deelan 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 people are called Deelan?
You can see how many Americans are named Deelan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.