2000
#31,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Delahunt
A surname derived from Old French and meaning "from the hunt" or "hunter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 806 Americans carry the last name Delahunt. That puts it at #34,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 425,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delahunt 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 Delahunt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
806
1 in 425,254
Census rank
#34,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
703
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 703 bearers of the surname Delahunt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delahunt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delahunt
The surname Delahunt is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French phrase 'de la hunte', meaning 'of the hunt'. It is believed to have originated in the 12th century, when the Norman nobility in England adopted surnames to distinguish themselves from the common people.
The name is thought to have been initially bestowed upon someone who lived near a hunting ground or forest, or perhaps someone who held the position of a huntsman or gamekeeper. It may have also been given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a particular talent or passion for hunting.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, which mentions a William de la Hunte. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also record a John de la Hunte in Oxfordshire, suggesting the name was present in different parts of England during the Middle Ages.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Delahunte, Delahunty, and Delahunte, before eventually settling into its modern form, Delahunt. These variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings in the past, which were often influenced by regional dialects and the interpretation of scribes.
One notable figure bearing the name Delahunt was Sir John Delahunt (c. 1530-1594), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served in the Irish wars and was knighted for his military service in 1586.
Another Delahunt of historical significance was Captain William Delahunt (c. 1670-1720), an Irish sailor and explorer who is credited with being the first European to set foot on the South Pacific island of Rotuma in 1720.
In the literary world, Mary Delahunty (1874-1957), an Irish writer and poet, gained recognition for her works celebrating the beauty of the Irish countryside and the struggles of rural life.
The name Delahunt can also be found in various locations, such as Delahunt Street in Richmond, Virginia, and Delahunt Court in Dublin, Ireland, both likely named after individuals bearing the surname.
It is worth noting that the surname Delahunt has occasionally been confused with the similar-sounding but distinct surname Delahanty, which has a separate origin and meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delahunt
Among Census respondents with the surname Delahunt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Delahunt 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 Delahunt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 640
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 37
- Two or more races2.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delahunt
Delahunt 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
#31,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 730
+43 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 118 places
2020
#34,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 703
-27 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 3,009 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,774 | 687 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,656 | 730 | 0.25 | +43 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 118 places |
| 2020 | #34,665 | 703 | 0.24 | -27 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 3,009 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 Delahunt 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 | #31,656 | #34,665 | -9.5% |
| Count | 730 | 703 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.24 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delahunt bearers went from 730 to 703 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 3,009 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,656 to #34,665.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Delahunt
FAQ
Delahunt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delahunt?
Name Census estimates that about 806 living Americans carry the surname Delahunt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 425,254 residents.
How common is Delahunt?
Delahunt ranks #34,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 703 people with the surname Delahunt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Delahunt.
Has Delahunt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delahunt went from 730 recorded bearers to 703. That is a decrease of 27 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,656 to #34,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Delahunt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delahunt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Delahunt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delahunt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Delahunt (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 Delahunt mean?
A surname derived from Old French and meaning "from the hunt" or "hunter." 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 Delahunt (0.24 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 common is the surname Delahunt?
See how many people have the last name Delahunt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.