2000
#78,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Rare Last name
Dela
A French surname derived from the French phrase "de la", meaning "from the" or "of the".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,102 Americans carry the last name Dela. That puts it at #8,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dela surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dela with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,558
Census rank
#8,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,577 bearers of the surname Dela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dela
The surname DELA has its origins in Spain, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish preposition "de la," meaning "of the" or "from the," suggesting that the name originally referred to a person's place of origin or residence. This naming convention was common during the Middle Ages when surnames were emerging as a way to distinguish individuals within growing populations.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the DELA surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from 1283 that recorded the distribution of lands and properties among the conquerors of Seville after the Christian reconquest of the city from the Moors. This document lists several individuals with the surname DELA, indicating its presence in Andalusia at that time.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the DELA surname appeared in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia, Aragon, and Castile. It was often associated with specific place names, such as Dela Cruz, Dela Torre, or Dela Vega, further emphasizing the connection between the surname and a person's geographic origin.
Notable historical figures with the DELA surname include Juan Dela Cerda (c. 1275-1322), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to retake the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Another prominent individual was Pedro Dela Gasca (1493-1567), a Spanish priest and diplomat who was sent to Peru to quell the rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro against the Spanish crown.
In the 16th century, the DELA surname spread beyond Spain's borders as Spanish explorers, settlers, and colonists ventured into the Americas and other parts of the world. One significant figure was Juan Dela Cruz (1542-1591), a Spanish Catholic priest and mystic who lived in Mexico and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the DELA surname was carried to various colonies and territories, including the Philippines, where it became a common surname among the Filipino population. One notable Filipino bearer of the name was Andrés Dela Cruz (1810-1877), a revolutionary leader who fought against Spanish colonial rule in the Philippine Revolution.
Throughout history, the DELA surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as De La, Dela, or even Delacruz, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and linguistic evolutions. However, its core meaning and connection to a person's geographic origin have remained a consistent theme.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dela
Among Census respondents with the surname Dela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dela bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.4% · 3,306
- White5.4% · 194
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 47
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- Two or more races0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dela
Dela appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#30,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 762
+535 bearers (+235.7%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 47,726 places
2020
#8,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,577
+2,815 bearers (+369.4%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 21,802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #78,326 | 227 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,600 | 762 | 0.26 | +535 bearers (+235.7%) | Up 47,726 places |
| 2020 | #8,798 | 3,577 | 1.20 | +2,815 bearers (+369.4%) | Up 21,802 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dela surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #30,600 | #8,798 | 71.2% |
| Count | 762 | 3,577 | 369.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 1.20 | 360.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dela bearers went from 762 to 3,577 (+369.4% change). The surname moved up 21,802 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,600 to #8,798.
FAQ
Dela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dela?
Name Census estimates that about 4,102 living Americans carry the surname Dela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,558 residents.
How common is Dela?
Dela ranks #8,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,577 people with the surname Dela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dela.
Has Dela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dela went from 762 recorded bearers to 3,577. That is an increase of 2,815 (+369.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #30,600 to #8,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Dela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (3,306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.4%), White (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dela (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dela mean?
A French surname derived from the French phrase "de la", meaning "from the" or "of the". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dela (1.20 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Dela?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.