Delavan
From a Native American language, meaning "beckoning paradise".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Delavan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Delavan today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Delavan births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Delavan. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Delavan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,327
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Delavan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Delavan 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 Delavan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Delavan
The name Delavan is believed to have originated from the French language, likely derived from the combination of the French words "de la" meaning "of the" and "van" meaning "fan" or "winnowing fan." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with occupations or locations related to agriculture or the processing of grains.
In its earliest known usage, the name Delavan was primarily found in regions of France, particularly in the northern and central areas. It is possible that the name was initially a surname or a place name before becoming a given name.
There are no definitive historical references or mentions of the name Delavan in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, some records indicate that the name began appearing as a given name in certain parts of Europe during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Delavan was Jean Delavan, a French merchant who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Pierre Delavan, a French Protestant clergyman who was active during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, Delavan Coulon was a French Catholic missionary who traveled to North America and worked among Native American communities. Around the same time, Delavan de Bienville was a French explorer and colonist who played a role in the establishment of New Orleans and the French colony of Louisiana.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Edward Cornelius Delavan (1793-1871) was an American temperance movement leader and businessman from New York. He was known for his efforts in promoting abstinence from alcoholic beverages and supporting legislation against the sale of alcohol.
Another significant figure with the name Delavan was Jane Delavan Carpenter (1841-1923), an American educator and activist who advocated for women's rights and the abolition of slavery. She was also involved in the establishment of several educational institutions in Wisconsin.
It is worth noting that while the name Delavan has been present throughout history, it has not been among the most common or widely used names in any particular region or cultural context.
People
Delavan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Delavan 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
Delavan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Delavan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Delavan 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 - US residents.
Is Delavan a common name?
We classify Delavan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Delavan most popular?
The single biggest year for Delavan was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Delavan is about 0 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 Delavan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Delavan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Delavan 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 Delavan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Delavan 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 Delavan 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 named Delavan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Delavan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.