Delania
Female name of Greek origin, possibly meaning "of the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 214 living Americans carry the first name Delania. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Delania today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Delania births was 1970 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Delania. 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
214
~ 1 in 1,601,656 Americans
Peak year
1970
15 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,825
Tracked since 1959
Census
Delania in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 297 people with the first name Delania, which placed it at #29,680 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
#29,680
National first-name rank
People counted
297
297 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
51.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delania
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delania is White at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Hispanic (13.8%). 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 Delania 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 Delania at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.2% · 152
- Black or African American27.6% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino13.8% · 41
- Two or more races5.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 5
Popularity
Delania: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Delania from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 93 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Delania 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 Delania 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 Delania
The name Delania is a unique and intriguing moniker with its origins shrouded in obscurity. Linguists and name experts have long debated its roots, with some suggesting it may have emerged from an ancient Etruscan dialect spoken in parts of what is now Italy. Others propose it could be derived from the Latin word "delana," meaning "wool worker" or "wool seller," potentially indicating a connection to the textile industry of the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Delania can be traced back to the 5th century CE, where it appeared in a collection of writings by a Roman scholar. This ancient text briefly mentioned a woman named Delania, though few details were provided about her life or significance. However, the mere inclusion of this name in such an early historical document lends credence to its long-standing existence.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Delania seemed to have fallen into relative obscurity, with scant records of individuals bearing this moniker. It was not until the Renaissance period that the name resurfaced, most notably with Delania Fiorentina, a renowned Italian painter who lived from 1472 to 1528. Her vibrant frescoes adorned several churches and noble residences in Florence, showcasing her artistic talent and cementing her place in the annals of art history.
In the 17th century, a woman named Delania Montesquieu (1620-1687) gained recognition as a prominent figure in French literature. Her poetic works and philosophical writings were widely celebrated during her lifetime, earning her a place among the intellectual elite of the era. Delania's legacy continued to inspire generations of writers and thinkers, and her name became synonymous with literary excellence.
Across the Atlantic, the name Delania found a home in the American colonies, with records indicating a woman named Delania Hawthorne (1678-1745) who was among the earliest settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her bravery and resilience in the face of the harsh New England wilderness earned her a place in local folklore, and her name was passed down through generations of her descendants.
Another notable figure bearing the name Delania was the Russian aristocrat and socialite Delania Volkonsky (1805-1859). Her lavish parties and influential connections within the imperial court made her a prominent figure in the high society of St. Petersburg, and her name became synonymous with elegance and refined taste.
While the origins of the name Delania remain shrouded in mystery, its enduring presence throughout various cultures and eras is a testament to its unique charm and historical significance. From renowned artists and writers to intrepid pioneers and social elites, the individuals who have carried this name have left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human history.
People
Delania + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Delania 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
Delania: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Delania?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 214 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Delania 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 1,601,656 US residents.
Is Delania a common name?
We classify Delania as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 238 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Delania most popular?
The single biggest year for Delania was 1970, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Delania is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Delania in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 297 people with the name Delania, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,680 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 Delania 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 Delania?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Delania leans strongly female. 292 people counted with this name were female (97.7%), compared with 7 male bearers (2.3%). 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 Delania?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delania is White at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.6%) and Hispanic (13.8%). 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 Delania most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Delania in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (152 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 Delania in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Delania a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Delania 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 Delania still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Delania 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 Delania 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 common is the name Delania?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.