Deliah
A feminine name of undetermined origin meaning "delight" or "delicate".
Name Census estimates that about 988 living Americans carry the first name Deliah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Deliah today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deliah births was 2011 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deliah. 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
988
~ 1 in 346,917 Americans
Peak year
2011
34 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,647
Tracked since 1883
Popularity
Deliah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deliah from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 246 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Deliah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deliah 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 Deliah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deliahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Deliah
The name Deliah is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew word "delilah," meaning "delicate" or "languishing." It is believed to have originated during the biblical era and is mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Judges.
According to biblical accounts, Delilah was a Philistine woman who lived in the valley of Sorek and became the lover of Samson, the famous Israelite judge known for his immense strength. Delilah betrayed Samson by cutting his hair, which was the source of his power, leading to his capture by the Philistines.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Deliah dates back to the 13th century BCE, and it appears in various ancient texts and manuscripts from that era. While the spelling "Delilah" is more common, the variant "Deliah" has been used throughout history.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Deliah was Deliah of Samaria, a Jewish scholar and poet who lived in the 4th century CE. She is known for her contributions to the field of Hebrew literature and her works have been preserved in various manuscripts.
In the 12th century, there was a notable figure named Deliah of Worms, who was a Jewish mystic and scholar renowned for her expertise in Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. She is believed to have influenced the development of Kabbalistic thought during her time.
During the Renaissance period, Deliah de' Medici (1476-1522) was an Italian noblewoman and the wife of Piero de' Medici, a member of the influential Medici family of Florence. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of artists and scholars.
In the 19th century, Deliah Colton (1818-1891) was an American author and educator who wrote several books on moral education and published works on historical figures. She was also involved in the women's suffrage movement and advocated for women's rights.
Another notable figure was Deliah Parnell (1854-1923), an Irish activist and politician who played a significant role in the Irish Home Rule movement. She was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party and worked alongside her brother, Charles Stewart Parnell, in the struggle for Irish independence.
People
Deliah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deliah 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
Deliah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deliah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 988 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deliah 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 346,917 US residents.
Is Deliah a common name?
We classify Deliah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,242 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deliah most popular?
The single biggest year for Deliah was 2011, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deliah is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Deliah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deliah 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.
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.