2000
#19,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Delfin
A surname derived from the French word for dolphin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,269 Americans carry the last name Delfin. That puts it at #14,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,060 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delfin 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,060
Census rank
#14,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,979 bearers of the surname Delfin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delfin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.9%) and White (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delfin
The surname Delfin has its roots in Spain, tracing back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "delfín," which means "dolphin." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who bore a resemblance to the graceful marine mammal or had a particular affinity for it.
One of the earliest known references to the Delfin surname can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century Castilian hunting treatise. This manuscript mentions a certain Fernán Delfín, who was likely a nobleman or hunter associated with the court of King Alfonso XI of Castile (1311-1350).
In the 15th century, the Delfin name appeared in various municipal records and cadastral surveys across different regions of Spain, including Catalonia, Aragon, and Andalusia. These documents often referred to individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Delfin, Delfí, and Delfino.
A notable figure bearing the Delfin surname was Pedro Delfín (c. 1480-1535), a Spanish navigator and explorer. He accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic circumnavigation of the globe and is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to sight the Pacific Ocean from the Isthmus of Panama.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Juan Delfín (1659-1725), a Spanish dramatist and poet from Seville. He wrote numerous plays and comedies that were widely performed during the Golden Age of Spanish theatre.
In the realm of art, Diego Delfín (1687-1763) was a renowned Spanish painter and engraver from Valencia. His works, particularly his religious paintings and etchings, can be found in various churches and museums across Spain and Europe.
Moving to the 19th century, José Delfín (1810-1883) was a Mexican politician and military leader who served as the president of Mexico from 1867 to 1868. He played a significant role in the resistance against the French intervention in Mexico during the Second Mexican Empire.
Lastly, Manuel Delfín (1901-1972) was a Cuban writer and journalist known for his contributions to the literary movement of Afro-Cuban poetry. His works, which celebrated the rich cultural heritage of Afro-Cubans, were widely acclaimed and influential in the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delfin
Among Census respondents with the surname Delfin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.9%) and White (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Delfin 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 Delfin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino59.0% · 1,167
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.9% · 611
- White6.8% · 134
- Two or more races2.6% · 52
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delfin
Delfin 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
#15,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,902
+608 bearers (+47.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 3,960 places
2020
#14,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,979
+77 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,366 | 1,294 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,406 | 1,902 | 0.64 | +608 bearers (+47.0%) | Up 3,960 places |
| 2020 | #14,497 | 1,979 | 0.66 | +77 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 909 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 Delfin 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 | #15,406 | #14,497 | 5.9% |
| Count | 1,902 | 1,979 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.66 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delfin bearers went from 1,902 to 1,979 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 909 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,406 to #14,497.
FAQ
Delfin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delfin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,269 living Americans carry the surname Delfin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,060 residents.
How common is Delfin?
Delfin ranks #14,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,979 people with the surname Delfin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Delfin.
Has Delfin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delfin went from 1,902 recorded bearers to 1,979. That is an increase of 77 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,406 to #14,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Delfin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delfin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.9%) and White (6.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Delfin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.0% (1,167 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delfin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (59.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (30.9%), White (6.8%). 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 Delfin (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 Delfin mean?
A surname derived from the French word for dolphin. 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 Delfin (0.66 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 Delfin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.