2000
#13,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Delph
A surname derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" or "pit" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,383 Americans carry the last name Delph. That puts it at #13,903 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,833 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delph 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 Delph with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,833
Census rank
#13,903
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,078 bearers of the surname Delph in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13903rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delph, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delph
The surname Delph has its roots in medieval England, originating from the Old English words "delf" or "delfe," which mean a quarry, mine, or pit. This suggests that the name was likely derived from a topographic feature or a place name associated with such a location. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various counties of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Staffordshire.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which recorded the names of landowners and tenants. In this document, the name appears as "de la Delph," indicating that it was a locative surname referring to a person from a place called Delph or a similar name.
During the Middle Ages, the name Delph was often associated with those who lived near or worked in quarries or mines, as these were important industries in many regions of England. The name may have also been used to identify individuals who lived near or owned land near a specific quarry or mine.
In the 16th century, variations of the name began to appear, such as Delphe, Delfe, and Delffe. These spellings were likely influenced by regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of spelling during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals bore the surname Delph. One example is John Delph, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Chester, England, who lived in the late 16th century. Another is William Delph, a respected clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Wingham in Kent during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name was recorded in various parish records across England, including those of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Staffordshire. One notable bearer of the name during this time was Richard Delph, a successful businessman and landowner from Lancashire, who lived from 1720 to 1795.
As the centuries progressed, the name Delph continued to be found in various parts of England, with some families migrating to other regions or countries. In the 19th century, for instance, Thomas Delph, a skilled engineer from Yorkshire, made significant contributions to the development of early steam engines and industrial machinery.
It is important to note that while the name Delph has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and has taken on various spellings and forms in different languages and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delph
Among Census respondents with the surname Delph, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Delph 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 Delph surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 1,704
- Black or African American9.9% · 205
- Two or more races4.2% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delph
Delph 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
#13,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,228
+121 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#13,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,078
-150 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,282 | 2,107 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,600 | 2,228 | 0.76 | +121 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #13,903 | 2,078 | 0.70 | -150 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 303 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 Delph 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 | #13,600 | #13,903 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,228 | 2,078 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.70 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delph bearers went from 2,228 to 2,078 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 303 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,600 to #13,903.
FAQ
Delph surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delph?
Name Census estimates that about 2,383 living Americans carry the surname Delph. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,833 residents.
How common is Delph?
Delph ranks #13,903 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,078 people with the surname Delph. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,383), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Delph.
Has Delph become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delph went from 2,228 recorded bearers to 2,078. That is a decrease of 150 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,600 to #13,903.
What does the Census say about the background of Delph?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delph, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Delph in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (1,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delph appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Black (9.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Delph (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 Delph mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" or "pit" in Old English. 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 Delph (0.70 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 Delph?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Delph on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.