2000
#15,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Delany
A locational surname derived from the place name of Delany in Ireland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,775 Americans carry the last name Delany. That puts it at #17,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 193,101 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delany 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 Delany with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 193,101
Census rank
#17,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,548 bearers of the surname Delany in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delany, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delany
The surname DELANY originated in Ireland, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó Diolúin, which means "descendant of Diolún." Diolún is a diminutive form of the Irish word "diol," meaning "pay" or "reward."
The DELANY name first appeared in County Westmeath, located in the province of Leinster. Historical records show variations in the spelling, such as Delaney, Delany, Delany, Dolany, and Dillane. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Thomas DELANY (1548-1628) was an Irish Jesuit priest and educator who served as the rector of the Irish College in Rome. He played a significant role in preserving Irish culture and education during a time of religious upheaval.
Another prominent individual was Mary DELANY (1700-1788), an English artist and writer known for her intricate paper cut-outs and botanical illustrations. Her memoir, "The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs. Delany," provides insight into 18th-century English society.
In the realm of literature, Samuel DELANY (1842-1909) was an Irish poet and writer who is best known for his work "The Cup and the Falcon." His poems often reflected on Irish identity and nationalism.
Later, in the 20th century, Samuel R. DELANY (1942-) gained recognition as an influential science fiction author and literary critic. His novels, such as "Dhalgren" and "Triton," explored themes of sexuality, race, and society.
The DELANY surname has also been associated with notable places, such as Delany Street in Dublin, Ireland, named after a prominent local family. Additionally, the town of Delany, Pennsylvania, was founded in the late 18th century and likely derived its name from an early settler bearing the DELANY surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delany
Among Census respondents with the surname Delany, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Delany 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 Delany surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 1,345
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 85
- Black or African American3.3% · 51
- Two or more races3.1% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delany
Delany 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
#15,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,909
+174 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 127 places
2020
#17,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,548
-361 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 2,435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,490 | 1,735 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,363 | 1,909 | 0.65 | +174 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 127 places |
| 2020 | #17,798 | 1,548 | 0.52 | -361 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 2,435 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 Delany 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 | #15,363 | #17,798 | -15.8% |
| Count | 1,909 | 1,548 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.52 | -20.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delany bearers went from 1,909 to 1,548 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 2,435 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,363 to #17,798.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Delany
FAQ
Delany surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delany?
Name Census estimates that about 1,775 living Americans carry the surname Delany. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 193,101 residents.
How common is Delany?
Delany ranks #17,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,548 people with the surname Delany. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,775), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Delany.
Has Delany become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delany went from 1,909 recorded bearers to 1,548. That is a decrease of 361 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,363 to #17,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Delany?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delany, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Delany in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (1,345 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delany appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (5.5%), Black (3.3%). 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 Delany (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 Delany mean?
A locational surname derived from the place name of Delany in Ireland. 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 Delany (0.52 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 Delany?
Want to know how common the surname Delany is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.