Delana
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Greek meaning "woman from Delos".
Name Census estimates that about 3,501 living Americans carry the first name Delana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Delana today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Delana births was 1969 (98 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Delana. 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 Delana with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.5K
~ 1 in 97,902 Americans
Peak year
1969
98 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,432
Tracked since 1914
Census
Delana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,399 people with the first name Delana, which placed it at #5,144 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
#5,144
National first-name rank
People counted
3.4K
3,399 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delana is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Delana 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 Delana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.0% · 2,313
- Black or African American18.9% · 643
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 171
- Two or more races5.0% · 171
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 34
Popularity
Delana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Delana from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 751 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
Delana 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 Delana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Delanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Texas, California, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Delana, while West Virginia, Kansas, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 53 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Delana
The name Delana has its roots in Latin and Greek origins, tracing back to the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean region. It is derived from the Latin word "delana," meaning "of the wool" or "woolen," which in turn comes from the Greek word "delaina," referring to a woolen garment or cloak.
In ancient Roman times, the name Delana was likely a reference to those involved in the wool trade or textile industry, as wool was a precious commodity and an important part of the economy. It may have been used as a nickname or surname for individuals associated with this profession.
The earliest recorded use of the name Delana can be found in ancient Roman records and inscriptions, although specific dates are difficult to pinpoint. One notable figure who bore this name was Delana of Ephesus, a wealthy Roman woman who lived in the 2nd century AD and was known for her philanthropic efforts in the city of Ephesus, located in present-day Turkey.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, the name Delana remained relatively obscure but occasionally appeared in various European regions. One notable bearer of the name was Delana de Montfort, a French noblewoman born in 1230, who played a significant role in the conflicts between the French monarchy and the Albigensian Crusaders.
In the 16th century, Delana Boccaccio, an Italian writer and poet, gained recognition for her works that explored themes of love and human nature. She was born in 1505 in Florence and was a contemporary of the renowned poet Michelangelo Buonarroti.
Another historical figure with the name Delana was Delana Mendoza, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world in the early 16th century. She was born in 1490 and is believed to have played a crucial role in the expedition's success by maintaining morale and resolving conflicts among the crew.
In the 19th century, Delana Nightingale, an English social reformer and statistician, made significant contributions to the field of nursing. Born in 1820, she is credited with pioneering modern nursing practices and improving healthcare standards in Britain during the Crimean War.
While the name Delana has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and has represented various professions and achievements, reflecting its rich heritage and enduring presence across cultures and time periods.
People
Delana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Delana 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
Delana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Delana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,501 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Delana 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 97,902 US residents.
Is Delana a common name?
We classify Delana as "Rare". It ranks above 95.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,077 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Delana most popular?
The single biggest year for Delana was 1969, when 98 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Delana is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Delana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,399 people with the name Delana, or 1.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,144 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 Delana 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 Delana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Delana leans strongly female. 3,359 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 38 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Delana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delana is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Delana most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Delana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.0% (2,313 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 Delana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Delana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Delana 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 Delana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Delana 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 Delana 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 Delana as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Delana, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.