2000
#20,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Delva
A surname derived from the Flemish word "delle" meaning hill or rising ground.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,657 Americans carry the last name Delva. That puts it at #12,722 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delva 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
2.7K
1 in 129,001
Census rank
#12,722
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,317 bearers of the surname Delva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12722nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delva, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delva
The surname Delva is of French origin, and it is believed to have originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the Normandy area. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "del val," which means "of the valley." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in or near a valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Delva can be traced back to the 12th century. One notable mention is found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Caen, a manuscript from the late 12th century that contains references to individuals with the surname Delva.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various records and documents, such as the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, which lists several individuals with the name Delva residing in the city of Rouen.
During the 14th century, the surname Delva is mentioned in the Rôles de l'Échiquier de Normandie, a collection of legal records from the Normandy region. This suggests that the name was well-established in the area at that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Delva was Jean Delva, who was born in the village of Vieux-Condé, Normandy, around 1285. Another notable figure was Pierre Delva, a merchant from Rouen who lived in the late 15th century (approximately 1470-1540).
In the 16th century, the surname Delva is found in several historical records, including the Registres paroissiaux de Caen, which contain parish records from the city of Caen. One notable individual from this period was Nicolas Delva (c. 1520-1585), a landowner and farmer from the village of Tilly-sur-Seulles.
The 17th century saw the spread of the surname Delva beyond the Normandy region, as individuals with this name began to migrate to other parts of France and even to the New World. One such individual was Jacques Delva (c. 1630-1695), who settled in the French colony of Acadia (present-day Canada) in the late 1600s.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Delva continued to be found in various parts of France, as well as in other countries where French immigrants settled. Some notable individuals with this surname include Étienne Delva (1804-1874), a French lawyer and politician, and Louis Delva (1854-1920), a Belgian composer and music educator.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delva
Among Census respondents with the surname Delva, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Delva 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 Delva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.0% · 2,086
- White4.5% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 83
- Two or more races1.5% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delva
Delva 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
#15,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,869
+697 bearers (+59.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 5,288 places
2020
#12,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
+448 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 2,913 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,923 | 1,172 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,635 | 1,869 | 0.63 | +697 bearers (+59.5%) | Up 5,288 places |
| 2020 | #12,722 | 2,317 | 0.78 | +448 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 2,913 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 Delva 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 | #15,635 | #12,722 | 18.6% |
| Count | 1,869 | 2,317 | 24.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.78 | 23.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delva bearers went from 1,869 to 2,317 (+24.0% change). The surname moved up 2,913 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,635 to #12,722.
FAQ
Delva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delva?
Name Census estimates that about 2,657 living Americans carry the surname Delva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,001 residents.
How common is Delva?
Delva ranks #12,722 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,317 people with the surname Delva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,657), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Delva.
Has Delva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delva went from 1,869 recorded bearers to 2,317. That is an increase of 448 (+24.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,635 to #12,722.
What does the Census say about the background of Delva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delva, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Delva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,086 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (90.0%), White (4.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Delva (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 Delva mean?
A surname derived from the Flemish word "delle" meaning hill or rising ground. 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 Delva (0.78 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 Delva?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.