Delaine
A feminine variant of the Old French name "Alaine", derived from the Latin "Alowyn" meaning "handsome".
Name Census estimates that about 1,701 living Americans carry the first name Delaine. It is a predominantly female name (90.7% of registrations). The average person named Delaine today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Delaine births was 1954 (71 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Delaine. 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
1.7K
~ 1 in 201,502 Americans
Peak year
1954
71 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1996 SSA rank
#8,187
Tracked since 1919
Census
Delaine in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,102 people with the first name Delaine, which placed it at #7,301 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,301
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,102 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delaine
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delaine is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Delaine described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Delaine at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 1,527
- Black or African American16.1% · 339
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 56
- Two or more races2.6% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
Gender
Gender distribution for Delaine
Delaine leans heavily female at 90.7% of total registrations, but 242 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Delaine as a male name
- Ranked #8,187 in 1996
- 6 male births in 1996
- Peak: 1934 (16 births)
Delaine as a female name
- Ranked #13,862 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1954 (65 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Delaine leans strongly female. 1,898 people counted with this name were female (90.4%), compared with 202 male bearers (9.6%).
Popularity
Delaine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Delaine from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 574 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Delaine 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 Delaine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Delaines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Minnesota, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Delaine, while Tennessee, South Dakota, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Delaine
The name Delaine originated from the French language, with its roots traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Old French word "de l'aine," which translates to "of the noble family" or "of the illustrious lineage." This name was initially bestowed upon individuals of aristocratic or noble descent, reflecting their esteemed social status.
In the early centuries of its usage, the name Delaine was predominantly found among the elite classes of French society. It carried a sense of prestige and distinction, signifying the bearer's connection to a prestigious family line. As time progressed, the name gradually gained popularity beyond the confines of nobility and aristocracy, becoming more widely adopted by the general population.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Delaine can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in historical records of noble families in France. During this period, the name was often associated with influential figures and prominent individuals who held significant positions within the feudal system.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Delaine. One such figure was Delaine de Montfort, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century. She played a crucial role in the political affairs of her time and was known for her unwavering loyalty to the Montfort family.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Delaine de Chartres, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 12th century. His contributions to the intellectual discourse of his era were widely recognized, and he was revered for his profound knowledge and wisdom.
In the 16th century, Delaine d'Aubigny, a celebrated French poet and writer, gained recognition for her literary works. Her poetic compositions were celebrated for their emotional depth and skillful use of language, inspiring generations of writers to follow.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Delaine de Rohan was a prominent figure in the French aristocracy. As a member of the influential Rohan family, she played a significant role in the social and political affairs of her time, leaving an indelible mark on the history of France.
The name Delaine also had a presence in the realm of the arts. Delaine Lebrun, a renowned French painter who lived in the 18th century, was celebrated for her exceptional talent and her ability to capture the essence of her subjects on canvas. Her works were highly sought after and continue to be admired by art enthusiasts worldwide.
While the name Delaine has evolved and gained broader acceptance over time, it still carries a sense of distinction and refinement, reminiscent of its noble origins. The individuals who have borne this name throughout history have left an indelible mark, contributing to various fields and shaping the cultural and societal landscape of their respective eras.
People
Delaine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Delaine 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
Delaine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Delaine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,701 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Delaine 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 201,502 US residents.
Is Delaine a common name?
We classify Delaine as "Rare". It ranks above 93% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,614 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Delaine most popular?
The single biggest year for Delaine was 1954, when 71 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Delaine is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Delaine in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,102 people with the name Delaine, or 0.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,301 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Delaine in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Delaine?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Delaine leans strongly female. 1,898 people counted with this name were female (90.4%), compared with 202 male bearers (9.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Delaine?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delaine is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Delaine most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Delaine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (1,527 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Delaine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Delaine a female name?
Yes, 90.7% of people registered as Delaine 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 Delaine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Delaine 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 Delaine 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.
How many people have Delaine as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.