Delora
From the Latin "delore", a feminine name meaning "to remove grief".
Name Census estimates that about 1,259 living Americans carry the first name Delora. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Delora today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Delora births was 1917 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Delora. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 272,243 Americans
Peak year
1917
56 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,919
Tracked since 1887
Popularity
Delora: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Delora from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 449 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Delora 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 Delora during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deloras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Kentucky, California, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Delora, while Tennessee, Michigan, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Delora
The name Delora finds its roots in the Latin language, originating from the word "delora," which means "to delay" or "to linger." This name gained popularity during the Roman era, particularly among families with ties to the Mediterranean region.
Delora was a name often associated with patience and perseverance, as it evoked the idea of taking one's time and not rushing through life's challenges. In ancient Roman texts, there are references to individuals bearing this name, although specific details are scarce.
The earliest recorded use of the name Delora can be traced back to the 4th century AD, when a Roman noblewoman named Delora Valeria was mentioned in historical records for her philanthropic efforts in supporting the arts and education.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Delora remained relatively uncommon, but it resurfaced during the Renaissance period. One notable figure was Delora Fiorentina, an Italian painter born in 1492, who was renowned for her intricate portraits of Renaissance aristocracy.
In the 17th century, Delora Margaretha von Württemberg, a German princess born in 1614, played a significant role in the cultural and political affairs of her time, advocating for the rights of women and supporting various charitable causes.
As the name spread across Europe, it gained popularity in different linguistic variations, such as Delores in Spanish and Dolores in Portuguese. One prominent figure was Delora Fernández, a Spanish writer and activist born in 1792, who advocated for educational reforms and women's rights.
In the 19th century, Delora Cahill, an Irish poet born in 1838, gained recognition for her poignant works that celebrated the beauty of nature and the resilience of the human spirit.
While the name Delora has experienced periods of relative obscurity, it has maintained a unique charm and historical significance, serving as a reminder of the enduring qualities of patience and perseverance.
People
Delora + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Delora 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
Delora: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Delora?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,259 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Delora 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 272,243 US residents.
Is Delora a common name?
We classify Delora as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,812 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Delora most popular?
The single biggest year for Delora was 1917, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Delora is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Delora a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Delora 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.