Find out how popular the last name Delisle is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Delisle.

Delisle, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Delisle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Delisle in America

Delisle is the 8212th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Delisle surname appeared 4,041 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Delisle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Delisle to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Delisle

The surname Delisle has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old French phrase "de l'isle," meaning "from the island." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name likely lived on an island or came from an area near an island.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census conducted in 1086 by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "de Insula," which is the Latin equivalent of "from the island." This entry indicates that the name was already in use among the Norman nobility in the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name Delisle was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of France, such as Normandy and Brittany, where there were numerous islands and coastal areas. The name may have been initially adopted by families living on the islands off the coast or in coastal villages near islands.

One notable bearer of the name was Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726), a renowned French cartographer and geographer. He was born in Paris and is best known for his detailed maps of the Americas, which were highly influential in his time. His work helped to advance the understanding of the geography of the New World.

Another prominent figure with the surname Delisle was Joseph-Nicolas Delisle (1688-1768), a French astronomer and member of the French Academy of Sciences. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and was among the first to calculate the orbit of Halley's Comet.

In the 17th century, the name Delisle was also found in the records of the French colony of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia and parts of New Brunswick). One example was Charles Delisle (born around 1635), who was among the early settlers in the region.

Other notable individuals with the surname Delisle include Claude Delisle (1644-1720), a French painter and engraver known for his landscapes and religious works, and Philippe Delisle (1949-2021), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of Quebec.

The name Delisle has been spelled in various ways throughout history, including de l'Isle, de l'Ile, and de Lisle. These variations reflect the different spellings and pronunciations used in different regions of France and the gradual evolution of the language over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Delisle

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Delisle.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Delisle was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Delisle has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Delisle was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Delisle, please contact us.

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