2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Delphonse
A French surname derived from the given name Alphonse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Delphonse. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delphonse 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Delphonse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delphonse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delphonse
The surname DELPHONSE has its origins in France, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French phrase "de l'fonse," which translates to "from the fountain" or "from the well." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided near a notable water source or well.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DELPHONSE can be found in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Chartres, a collection of charters and documents pertaining to the Cathedral of Chartres in northern France, dating back to the 12th century. In this manuscript, a certain Guillelmus Delphonse is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
During the 13th century, the DELPHONSE name appeared in various records across the regions of Normandy and Picardy in northern France. It is possible that the name may have originated from a place name, such as a village or hamlet with a connection to a local fountain or well, but no definitive evidence has been found to support this theory.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the DELPHONSE surname was Jean Delphonse, a merchant from the city of Rouen in Normandy. Records indicate that he was involved in the thriving textile trade of the time, exporting goods throughout Europe.
Another prominent figure with the DELPHONSE surname was Marie Delphonse, a renowned midwife who lived in Paris during the late 16th century. She is credited with advocating for better training and recognition for midwives, and her expertise was sought after by many noble families in the city.
In the 17th century, the DELPHONSE name gained further prominence with the birth of François Delphonse (1632-1701), a celebrated architect who worked on several notable buildings in Paris, including the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) and the Palais des Tuileries.
As the DELPHONSE name spread across France and into other parts of Europe, various spellings and variations emerged, such as Delfonce, Delfons, and Delphons. However, the core pronunciation and meaning remained largely unchanged, rooted in the Old French phrase "de l'fonse."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delphonse
Among Census respondents with the surname Delphonse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Delphonse 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 Delphonse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.3% · 95
- White2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delphonse
Delphonse appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 7,385 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 7,385 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 Delphonse 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 | #160,975 | #153,590 | 4.6% |
| Count | 100 | 104 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delphonse bearers went from 100 to 104 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 7,385 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #153,590.
FAQ
Delphonse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delphonse?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Delphonse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Delphonse?
Delphonse ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Delphonse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Delphonse.
Has Delphonse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delphonse went from 100 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Delphonse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delphonse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Delphonse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delphonse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.3%), White (2.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Delphonse (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 Delphonse mean?
A French surname derived from the given name Alphonse. 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 Delphonse (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Delphonse?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.