2000
#21,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Delira
A Spanish surname meaning "delirium" or "madness".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,143 Americans carry the last name Delira. That puts it at #15,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delira 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
2.1K
1 in 159,941
Census rank
#15,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,869 bearers of the surname Delira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delira
The surname DELIRA has its origins in the Italian region of Tuscany, dating back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "delirare," which means "to rave" or "to be delirious." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with an eccentric or unusual demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DELIRA can be found in a document from the city of Florence in 1287, where a certain Giovanni Delira is mentioned as a local merchant. There are also records of a family by the name of Delira residing in the town of Siena during the 14th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Pietro Delira (1410-1482) was a renowned sculptor and architect from Florence. He is credited with designing several churches and public buildings in the Renaissance style, including the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Arezzo.
Another prominent individual with the surname DELIRA was Giulio Delira (1522-1587), a humanist scholar and philosopher from Lucca. He was known for his literary works and translations of ancient Greek texts.
During the 16th century, the name DELIRA can be found in records from the town of Montepulciano, where a family with this surname owned vineyards and produced wine. One member of this family, Antonio Delira (1548-1612), was a respected winemaker and merchant.
In the 17th century, a certain Francesco Delira (1621-1698) was a notable painter from the city of Pisa. His works, which were mainly religious in nature, can still be found in several churches throughout Tuscany.
The surname DELIRA also has connections to the island of Sardinia, where a variant spelling "Delira" is found. One notable individual from this region was Giovanni Battista Delira (1745-1823), a military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
It is worth noting that the name DELIRA has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, such as "Deliri," "Deliria," and "Delirini." However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Latin word "delirare."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delira
Among Census respondents with the surname Delira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Delira 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 Delira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 1,721
- White5.5% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
- Two or more races0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delira
Delira 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
#16,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,727
+593 bearers (+52.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 4,878 places
2020
#15,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,869
+142 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 1,459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,479 | 1,134 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,601 | 1,727 | 0.59 | +593 bearers (+52.3%) | Up 4,878 places |
| 2020 | #15,142 | 1,869 | 0.63 | +142 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 1,459 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 Delira 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 | #16,601 | #15,142 | 8.8% |
| Count | 1,727 | 1,869 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.63 | 6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delira bearers went from 1,727 to 1,869 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 1,459 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,601 to #15,142.
FAQ
Delira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delira?
Name Census estimates that about 2,143 living Americans carry the surname Delira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,941 residents.
How common is Delira?
Delira ranks #15,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,869 people with the surname Delira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Delira.
Has Delira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delira went from 1,727 recorded bearers to 1,869. That is an increase of 142 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,601 to #15,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Delira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Delira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,721 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Delira (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 Delira mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "delirium" or "madness". 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 Delira (0.63 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 Delira?
Want to know how common the surname Delira is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.