Given name & surname · also Classical Greek
Delia
“a good-hearted woman; a woman of honesty”·“born of the nobility”
Delia is a form of Cordelia. One Latin interpretation is “a good-hearted woman; a woman of honesty.” In English use, Delia has a related form in Della. One German interpretation is “born of the nobility.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Delia is a form of Cordelia. One Latin interpretation is “a good-hearted woman; a woman of honesty.” In English use, Delia has a related form in Della. One German interpretation is “born of the nobility.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
In Spanish usage, Delia is a short form of Adelia.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Delia is a form of Cordelia. The history of Cordelia gives this family its wider story. Cordelia is the daughter who remains loyal to King Lear in Shakespeare’s tragedy. The play is its central literary association; a proposed link with Latin cor, “heart,” is an interpretation rather than a settled derivation.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Delia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 37,380
- 62 boys · 37,318 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 490 babies
- 2025
- 135
- #1,561 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 135 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,561 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 14.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 490 in 1957. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 37,738 as a first name in 2020; 4,503 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Delia’s family of names
In Spanish usage, Delia is a short form of Adelia. In English usage, Delia has a related form in Della. Delia is a form of Cordelia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Delia has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Dellavariant · English
- Adeliafull form · Spanish
- Deliahvariant
- Deliyahvariant
- Deleahvariant
- Deleavariant
- Delyavariant
- Delingdiminutive · ceb
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Delia
- Delia DerbyshireEnglish musician and composer of electronic music (1937–2001)
- Delia GrigoreRomanian Romani writer, philologist, academic and Romani rights activistborn 1972
- Delia OwensAmerican author and zoologistborn 1949
- Delia BoccardoItalian actress (born 1948)
- Delia FialloCuban author and screenwriter (1924–2021)
- Delia BaconAmerican author best known for her work on Shakespearean authorship (1811–1859)
- Delia AkeleyAmerican explorer1869–1970
- Delia ScalaItalian actress, dancer and singer (1929–2004)
- Delia RamirezAmerican politician (born 1983)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Delia, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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