Delphine
Feminine · “of Delphi”
Delphine is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 10,448 girls against 33 boys since 1880.
Delphine is a French name from Delphi, the mountain sanctuary where the Greeks went for oracles — and behind the place name, by an old connection, is the dolphin.
How old is the name Delphine?
Delphine was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Delphine alive today was born around 1936, making them about 89 years old. About 4,800 people named Delphine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Delphine most popular?
Delphine peaked in 1930, reaching #427 nationally. Today it ranks #3577, 3,150 places below that high. See the whole 1930 chart.
Where it comes from
From Delphi to Delphine
The story of Delphine
Delphi was the most important oracle of the Greek world for a thousand years, and its name was linked in antiquity to the dolphin through a story about Apollo's arrival there. Latin Delphina became a saint's name in thirteenth-century Provence, and French kept Delphine. It was widely used in France and in French Louisiana, and it appears in American records in real numbers in the early twentieth century.
Meaningscholars disagree
of Delphi; dolphin
The Latin Delphina means a woman of Delphi. Greek delphis, a dolphin, and Delphi itself are connected in ancient explanation — the god was said to have come to the site in dolphin form — though whether the words are truly related is disputed.
How the name formed
- Delphi
- Delphina
- Delphine
Related forms: Delphine · Delfina · Delfina
Pronouncing Delphine
del-FEEN
Two syllables with the stress on the second. Americans often say DEL-feen.
Nicknames for Delphine
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
- 1930242 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #427reached in 1930
- Change vs 2022
- −17.6%42 in 2025, from 51
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.
Delphine in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Delphine in French — same name
- Delfina in Italian — same name
- Delfina in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York.
Delphines among us
people named Delphine are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 38,268 born in 2025 was named Delphine
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Filomena test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Delphine's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Filomena climbed just as high around 1907, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Filomena's path sketches the road Delphine is walking now.
Delphine 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 Delphine is headed
Delphine 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.
Delphine beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Delphine in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning tied to one of the most important places in the ancient world.
- The dolphin connection is genuinely attractive and worth telling.
- Del and Della are both usable short forms.
- The stress differs between the French and American readings.
- Delphine, Delphina and Delfina are all in use and get confused.
- The delphinium flower shares the root and will be mentioned.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Delphine 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 Delphine? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Delphine
Feminine · #3577 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Delphines are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,800 people named Delphine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Delphine in 2025?
- Delphine ranks #3577 among US girl names in 2025, with 42 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Delphine?
- About 1 in every 38,268 US girls born in 2025 was named Delphine — 42 in all.
- Will my child share the name Delphine with classmates?
- Delphine will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Delphine
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Evelyne#3577 · Ellanor#3577 · Gwenevere#3577 · Lian#3577 · Katya#3577 · Kolby#3577 · Kolbi#3577 · Cherry#3577
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Delphine? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Delphine 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