2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Delahay
From an enclosure for hay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Delahay. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delahay 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 Delahay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Delahay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delahay, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delahay
The surname DELAHAY originated in France during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old French phrase "de la haye" which translates to "from the hedge" or "of the hedge." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked with hedges, perhaps as a farmer or landowner with hedged property.
The earliest known record of the DELAHAY surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. It was documented in various spellings such as de la Haie, de la Hay, and de la Haye, reflecting the variations common in naming practices of that era.
In the 14th century, the DELAHAY name appeared in the historic Hundredorum Rolls, a census-like record of landowners and households in England compiled between 1273 and 1286. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname had already established a presence in England by that time, likely as a result of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One notable figure with the DELAHAY surname was Jean de la Haye, a French Catholic priest and theologian born in Normandy in the late 15th century (c. 1470-1529). He authored several religious works and served as the rector of the University of Paris.
Another individual of note was Philippe de la Haye (1570-1637), a French jurist and legal scholar from Normandy who wrote extensively on civil and canon law.
In England, the DELAHAY surname can be traced back to the 16th century, with records indicating a William Delahaie living in Wiltshire in 1541. This spelling variation further illustrates the fluidity of surname spellings during that period.
One of the earliest documented instances of the DELAHAY spelling itself was in the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Sandwich, Kent, where a John Delahay was recorded in 1586.
Robert Delahay (1592-1637) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of St. John's College, Oxford, from 1631 until his death.
In the 18th century, Sir Edward Delahay (1728-1795) was a notable British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and later rose to the rank of Admiral of the White.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delahay
Among Census respondents with the surname Delahay, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Delahay 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 Delahay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 14
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delahay
Delahay 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,881 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,881 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 169 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 Delahay 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 | #141,140 | #141,309 | -0.1% |
| Count | 118 | 121 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delahay bearers went from 118 to 121 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #141,309.
FAQ
Delahay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delahay?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Delahay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Delahay?
Delahay ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Delahay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Delahay.
Has Delahay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delahay went from 118 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 3 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Delahay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delahay, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Delahay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delahay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Hispanic (11.6%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Delahay (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 Delahay mean?
From an enclosure for hay. 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 Delahay (0.04 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 share the surname Delahay?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.