2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Delpha
Of Greek origin, refers to a dolphin or dolphin-like creature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Delpha. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delpha 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Delpha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delpha, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delpha
The surname DELPHA has its origins in medieval France, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "del phai," which translates to "of the meadow" or "from the meadow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow or grazing land.
The earliest recorded instance of the name DELPHA can be found in the cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés near Paris, where a certain Raoul Delpha is mentioned in a document from 1187. This suggests that the name was already in use in the Île-de-France region by the late 12th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, various spellings of the name appeared in records across northern France, including Delphe, Delphat, and Delphay. These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One notable historical figure bearing the DELPHA name was Jean Delpha, a French lawyer and magistrate who lived in the 15th century. He served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris and was involved in several high-profile legal cases during the reign of King Charles VII.
In the 16th century, a branch of the DELPHA family settled in the region of Normandy, where they acquired land and established themselves as minor nobility. One member of this branch, Pierre Delpha (1520-1592), was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Rouen.
Another significant figure was Étienne Delpha (1635-1701), a French painter and engraver who was born in Paris but spent much of his career in Italy. He is best known for his religious paintings and etchings, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Italy and France.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several DELPHA families emigrated from France to various parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. One notable example is Jacques Delpha (1745-1818), a French colonist who settled in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) and became a successful plantation owner.
In the 19th century, a French architect named Louis Delpha (1812-1876) gained recognition for his work on several prestigious projects in Paris, including the renovation of the Palais de Luxembourg and the construction of the Théâtre du Châtelet.
Throughout its history, the surname DELPHA has been associated with various occupations and social classes, from peasants and merchants to lawyers, artists, and minor nobility. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on the historical records of France and the places where DELPHA families have settled over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delpha
Among Census respondents with the surname Delpha, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Delpha 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 Delpha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delpha
Delpha 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+12 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,881 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-13 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,447 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 1,881 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 13,447 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 Delpha 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 | #133,048 | #146,495 | -10.1% |
| Count | 127 | 114 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delpha bearers went from 127 to 114 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 13,447 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #146,495.
FAQ
Delpha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delpha?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Delpha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Delpha?
Delpha ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Delpha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Delpha.
Has Delpha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delpha went from 127 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Delpha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delpha, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Delpha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delpha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Delpha (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 Delpha mean?
Of Greek origin, refers to a dolphin or dolphin-like creature. 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 Delpha (0.04 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 surname Delpha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.