Dela
A feminine Spanish name derived from the contraction "de la".
Name Census estimates that about 335 living Americans carry the first name Dela. It is a predominantly female name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Dela today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dela births was 2023 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dela. 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
335
~ 1 in 1,023,147 Americans
Peak year
2023
16 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,177
Tracked since 1888
Gender
Gender distribution for Dela
Out of the 546 babies given the name Dela since 1880, 99.1% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Dela as a male name
- Ranked #8,177 in 1989
- 5 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (5 births)
Dela as a female name
- Ranked #9,688 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (16 births)
Popularity
Dela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dela from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 70 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dela 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 Dela 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 Dela
The name Dela has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-European languages spoken on the Indian subcontinent. Dela is derived from the Sanskrit word "deva," which means "divine" or "god." The name is believed to have been in use as early as the 3rd century BCE.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, the word "deva" is often used to refer to deities or celestial beings. The name Dela was likely given to children with the intention of bestowing divine qualities or blessings upon them. It was a popular name among the Brahmin caste in ancient India.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dela can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic poem dating back to the 8th century BCE. The Mahabharata mentions a character named Dela, who was a prince and son of King Virata.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dela. One of the most famous was Dela Goswami (1484-1568), a prominent Gaudiya Vaishnava saint and spiritual leader in 16th-century Bengal. He was a close associate of the renowned Hindu theologian and reformer, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Another historical figure named Dela was Dela Khan (1592-1659), a Mughal nobleman and military commander who served under the Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan. He played a crucial role in the Mughal campaigns against the Persians and the Marathas.
In the 18th century, Dela Ram (1718-1789) was a renowned Indian poet and writer from the state of Rajasthan. He is best known for his work "Dela Ram Kavya," which is a collection of poems and literary works.
Dela Upasika (1892-1982) was a Theravada Buddhist nun and scholar from Sri Lanka. She was instrumental in reviving the Bhikkhuni (female monastic) order in Sri Lanka and was also a prominent advocate for gender equality within Buddhist traditions.
Dela Sacheva (1919-2008) was a distinguished Indian scientist and engineer who made significant contributions to the field of aeronautics. He served as the Director of the Indian Institute of Science and played a pivotal role in the development of India's aerospace industry.
People
Dela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dela 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
Dela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 335 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dela 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 1,023,147 US residents.
Is Dela a common name?
We classify Dela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 546 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dela most popular?
The single biggest year for Dela was 2023, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dela is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dela a female name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Dela 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.