2000
#6,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Delia
Derived from a Greek place name meaning "Delos," referring to a person who came from the island of Delos.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,164 Americans carry the last name Delia. That puts it at #7,151 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delia 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 Delia with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,374
Census rank
#7,151
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,503 bearers of the surname Delia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7151st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delia, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delia
The surname DELIA originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the ancient Greek city of Delos, which was a major center of trade and culture in the Aegean Sea during the classical period. The name DELIA may have been initially adopted by individuals or families with ties to this influential island.
The earliest recorded instances of the DELIA surname date back to the 13th century in Sicily. During this time, it appeared in various municipal records and historical documents, suggesting that it was an established surname among Sicilian families. Some of the earliest known bearers of the DELIA name include Giacomo DELIA, a merchant from Palermo in the late 1200s, and Antonino DELIA, a landowner from Trapani in the early 1300s.
Over the centuries, the DELIA surname spread beyond Sicily to other parts of Italy and eventually to other countries through migration and trade. In the 15th century, records show the presence of the DELIA family in the city of Naples, where they were involved in various business ventures.
One notable historical figure with the DELIA surname was Giovanni DELIA (1554-1626), a Sicilian jurist and author who served as a judge in Palermo. His legal treatises and commentaries on Sicilian law were highly regarded during his time. Another prominent individual was Vincenzo DELIA (1680-1745), a Sicilian architect known for his work on several baroque churches and palaces in Palermo and other cities in Sicily.
In the 19th century, the DELIA surname gained recognition through the work of Pietro DELIA (1828-1892), an Italian botanist and naturalist from Palermo. He contributed significantly to the study of the flora and fauna of Sicily and was elected as a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei (Lincean Academy) in Rome.
Another noteworthy figure was Camillo DELIA (1856-1924), an Italian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and advocated for the rights of workers and farmers. He also founded several newspapers and wrote extensively on social and political issues of his time.
As people with the DELIA surname migrated to different parts of the world, the name became more widespread. For instance, in the early 20th century, Giuseppe DELIA (1894-1974) was an Italian-American sculptor and artist known for his public monuments and religious works in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delia
Among Census respondents with the surname Delia, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Delia 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 Delia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 3,862
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 309
- Black or African American3.8% · 170
- Two or more races2.6% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delia
Delia 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
#6,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,301
+536 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Up 145 places
2020
#7,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,503
-798 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 737 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,559 | 4,765 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,414 | 5,301 | 1.80 | +536 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 145 places |
| 2020 | #7,151 | 4,503 | 1.51 | -798 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 737 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 Delia 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 | #6,414 | #7,151 | -11.5% |
| Count | 5,301 | 4,503 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.51 | -16.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delia bearers went from 5,301 to 4,503 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 737 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,414 to #7,151.
FAQ
Delia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delia?
Name Census estimates that about 5,164 living Americans carry the surname Delia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,374 residents.
How common is Delia?
Delia ranks #7,151 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,503 people with the surname Delia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Delia.
Has Delia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delia went from 5,301 recorded bearers to 4,503. That is a decrease of 798 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,414 to #7,151.
What does the Census say about the background of Delia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delia, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Delia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (3,862 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Hispanic (6.9%), Black (3.8%). 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 Delia (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 Delia mean?
Derived from a Greek place name meaning "Delos," referring to a person who came from the island of Delos. 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 Delia (1.51 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 last name Delia?
You can see how many people have the surname Delia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.