Delesia
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from the French "délicieuse" (delicious).
Name Census estimates that about 71 living Americans carry the first name Delesia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Delesia today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Delesia births was 1965 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Delesia. 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 Delesia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
71
~ 1 in 4,827,526 Americans
Peak year
1965
10 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1994 SSA rank
#13,996
Tracked since 1954
Census
Delesia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 158 people with the first name Delesia, which placed it at #44,091 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
#44,091
National first-name rank
People counted
158
158 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
74.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delesia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delesia is Black at 74.7%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) 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 Delesia 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 Delesia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American74.7% · 118
- White15.8% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 8
- Two or more races2.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 3
Popularity
Delesia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Delesia from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 40 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
Delesia 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 Delesia 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 Delesia
The name Delesia has its origins in ancient Greek culture, tracing back to the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "delesis," which means "allurement" or "enticement." This name was initially associated with the goddess of persuasion and seduction, Peitho, who was often depicted alongside Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Delesia can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato. In his work "Symposium," he mentions a character named Delesia, who was known for her captivating charm and ability to sway others with her words.
During the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the 4th to the 1st century BCE, the name Delesia gained popularity among the Greek aristocracy. It was seen as a symbol of grace, eloquence, and persuasive power.
In the 2nd century CE, a renowned courtesan and philosopher from Alexandria named Delesia gained fame for her wit and intellect. She was highly sought after by the wealthy and influential men of her time, and her name became synonymous with intelligence and sophistication.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Delesia. One such figure was Delesia of Thessaly (c. 300 BCE), a skilled orator and political adviser who played a crucial role in the affairs of the Macedonian kingdom.
Another prominent figure was Delesia of Corinth (c. 100 BCE), a celebrated poet and playwright whose works were widely admired in ancient Greece. Her plays often explored themes of love, desire, and the complexities of human relationships.
In the medieval period, the name Delesia found its way into Europe through the influence of Byzantine culture. One notable bearer of the name was Delesia of Trebizond (c. 1300 CE), a renowned scholar and translator who played a significant role in preserving and disseminating ancient Greek texts.
During the Renaissance, the name Delesia experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the intellectual and artistic circles of Italy. Delesia Visconti (1370-1424), a celebrated patron of the arts and a member of the powerful Visconti family of Milan, was a prominent figure of this era.
In more recent times, the name Delesia has been less common, but it has been carried by a few notable individuals. Delesia Cavendish (1856-1932), an English aristocrat and philanthropist, was known for her charitable work and support of various social causes.
People
Delesia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Delesia 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
Delesia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Delesia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 71 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Delesia 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 4,827,526 US residents.
Is Delesia a common name?
We classify Delesia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 83 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Delesia most popular?
The single biggest year for Delesia was 1965, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Delesia is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Delesia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 158 people with the name Delesia, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,091 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 Delesia 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 Delesia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Delesia leans strongly female. 153 people counted with this name were female (98.7%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.3%). 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 Delesia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delesia is Black at 74.7%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) 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 Delesia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Delesia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.7% (118 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 Delesia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Delesia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Delesia 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 Delesia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Delesia 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 Delesia 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 Delesia as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Delesia, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.