Delila
Feminine · “delicate”
Delila is a spelling of Delilah, the Philistine woman of the book of Judges who learned where Samson's strength lay. The name's meaning has never been settled and the story has never been forgotten.
How old is the name Delila?
Delila was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Delila alive today was born around 1991, making them about 34 years old. About 2,700 people named Delila are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Delila most popular?
Delila peaked in 1887, reaching #633 nationally. Today it ranks #3389, 2,756 places below that high. See the whole 1887 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Delilah to Delila
The story of Delila
Delilah appears in four chapters of Judges and is one of the few women in the Hebrew Bible given a name, a will and a price. The story made the name proverbial in English for a woman who betrays, and it was largely avoided for centuries. Nineteenth-century American families used it steadily nonetheless, and it has come back in recent decades, in the spellings Delilah, Delila and Dalila.
Meaningscholars disagree
delicate, or of the night
Two readings compete. One builds the name on a Hebrew root meaning to weaken or to languish, giving delicate or feeble. The other connects it to layla, night, which would make it a night name. Neither has been established, and the first may be a later reading shaped by the story.
How the name formed
- Delilah
- Delila
Related forms: Delilah · Dalila · Dalila
Pronouncing Delila
duh-LY-lah
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. Hebrew gives de-lee-LAH, with the stress at the end.
Nicknames for Delila
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 2008118 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #633reached in 1887
- Change vs 2022
- −19.6%45 in 2025, from 56
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Delila in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Delilah in Hebrew — same name
- Dalila in Spanish — same name
- Dalila in Arabic — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Ohio.
Delilas among us
people named Delila are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 35,717 born in 2025 was named Delila
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Delila
- #3389
- Delila on the 2025 chart
- #58
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Delila went to 45 girls in 2025, but Delilah and Delylah are the same name said out loud. Together the 4 spellings went to 4,267, which makes it the 58th most-given girls’ name of the year — 3,331 places above the chart.
and 1 rarer spelling.
About 1 girl in 377 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 35,717 for Delila itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Delila sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Delila is headed
Delila should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Delila beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Delila in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Lila sits inside it as a complete, current short form.
- Genuine nineteenth-century American use, so it is a revival rather than an invention.
- The sound is familiar and easy in English, Spanish and Arabic alike.
- The biblical story is one of betrayal and it is well enough known to follow the name.
- Delilah is the standard spelling and the h will be added for her constantly.
- The meaning is genuinely unsettled between two readings.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Delila to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Delila? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Delila
Feminine · #3389 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Delilas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,700 people named Delila are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Delila?
- Delila is one of 3 recorded spellings. Delilah is the more common one — 4,137 births in 2025 against 45 for Delila.
- How popular is the name Delila in 2025?
- Delila ranks #3389 among US girl names in 2025, with 45 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Delila?
- About 1 in every 35,717 US girls born in 2025 was named Delila — 45 in all.
- Will my child share the name Delila with classmates?
- Delila will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Delila
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Katheryn#3389 · Posey#3389 · Ronni#3389 · Gittel#3389 · Betsabe#3389 · Germany#3389 · Jaslene#3389 · Lovina#3389
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Delila? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Delila and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle