Delma
Delma was last recorded in 2023, when 5 babies were given it; 9,901 Americans have been recorded with it between 1884 and 2023 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 3,390 Americans named Delma and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (34% of everyone recorded); the median is 70 years old and half are between 60 and 79.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Delma by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Delma mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Delma is “a diminutive of the female given name Adelma.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given name Fidelma.”
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Delma?
Unranked in 2025
Its last girls’ rank on record is #15,779, in 2023; SSA lists a name only in years with 5 or more births.
250 babies in 1926, the peak
Delma peaked in 1926, when 250 babies were given it (205 girls, #486 among girls’ names). It was not recorded in 2025.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | #15,779 | under 5 | |
| 2019 | 7 | #12,775 | under 5 | |
| 2015 | 7 | #13,357 | under 5 | |
| 2012 | 5 | #17,556 | under 5 | |
| 2008 | 5 | #18,242 | under 5 | |
| 2007 | 7 | #14,295 | under 5 | |
| 2005 | 6 | #14,959 | under 5 | |
| 2002 | 7 | #12,544 | under 5 | |
| 2001 | 9 | #10,322 | under 5 | |
| 1999 | 9 | #9,690 | under 5 |
Every recorded year (122)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5 | #14,741 | under 5 | |
| 1997 | 8 | #10,031 | under 5 | |
| 1995 | 7 | #10,799 | under 5 | |
| 1994 | 11 | #7,739 | under 5 | |
| 1993 | 9 | #8,908 | under 5 | |
| 1992 | 5 | #13,829 | under 5 | |
| 1991 | 11 | #7,530 | under 5 | |
| 1990 | 14 | #6,206 | under 5 | |
| 1989 | 14 | #5,899 | under 5 | |
| 1988 | 10 | #7,256 | under 5 | |
| 1987 | 12 | #6,015 | under 5 | |
| 1986 | 7 | #8,765 | under 5 | |
| 1985 | 15 | #4,906 | under 5 | |
| 1984 | 11 | #5,996 | under 5 | |
| 1983 | 22 | #3,588 | under 5 | |
| 1982 | 26 | #3,275 | 6 | #5,814 |
| 1981 | 18 | #4,189 | 7 | #5,059 |
| 1980 | 22 | #3,637 | under 5 | |
| 1979 | 20 | #3,804 | 8 | #4,498 |
| 1978 | 33 | #2,581 | under 5 | |
| 1977 | 27 | #2,924 | 5 | #6,057 |
| 1976 | 31 | #2,558 | under 5 | |
| 1975 | 34 | #2,369 | under 5 | |
| 1974 | 30 | #2,512 | under 5 | |
| 1973 | 32 | #2,364 | under 5 | |
| 1972 | 41 | #1,978 | under 5 | |
| 1971 | 50 | #1,777 | 6 | #4,521 |
| 1970 | 57 | #1,638 | under 5 | |
| 1969 | 56 | #1,595 | 7 | #3,671 |
| 1968 | 57 | #1,505 | 8 | #3,168 |
| 1967 | 64 | #1,375 | 11 | #2,506 |
| 1966 | 68 | #1,316 | 5 | #4,073 |
| 1965 | 86 | #1,149 | 8 | #3,040 |
| 1964 | 80 | #1,231 | 6 | #3,701 |
| 1963 | 86 | #1,182 | 8 | #3,110 |
| 1962 | 89 | #1,160 | 7 | #3,380 |
| 1961 | 93 | #1,136 | 9 | #2,942 |
| 1960 | 92 | #1,130 | 11 | #2,572 |
| 1959 | 97 | #1,080 | 18 | #1,925 |
| 1958 | 122 | #932 | 16 | #2,042 |
| 1957 | 110 | #990 | 12 | #2,401 |
| 1956 | 109 | #965 | 15 | #2,109 |
| 1955 | 126 | #865 | 17 | #1,918 |
| 1954 | 110 | #916 | 22 | #1,639 |
| 1953 | 110 | #896 | 14 | #2,116 |
| 1952 | 88 | #1,003 | 14 | #2,092 |
| 1951 | 91 | #977 | 16 | #1,920 |
| 1950 | 94 | #917 | 23 | #1,545 |
| 1949 | 97 | #896 | 16 | #1,881 |
| 1948 | 101 | #867 | 21 | #1,619 |
| 1947 | 105 | #854 | 24 | #1,525 |
| 1946 | 100 | #829 | 19 | #1,651 |
| 1945 | 90 | #793 | 22 | #1,418 |
| 1944 | 90 | #807 | 21 | #1,491 |
| 1943 | 108 | #747 | 29 | #1,285 |
| 1942 | 103 | #745 | 30 | #1,277 |
| 1941 | 107 | #678 | 33 | #1,159 |
| 1940 | 126 | #626 | 20 | #1,531 |
| 1939 | 125 | #602 | 24 | #1,366 |
| 1938 | 126 | #609 | 36 | #1,078 |
| 1937 | 146 | #558 | 38 | #1,037 |
| 1936 | 152 | #525 | 29 | #1,230 |
| 1935 | 146 | #533 | 42 | #983 |
| 1934 | 154 | #520 | 36 | #1,103 |
| 1933 | 167 | #492 | 33 | #1,147 |
| 1932 | 156 | #524 | 28 | #1,296 |
| 1931 | 144 | #549 | 35 | #1,153 |
| 1930 | 141 | #574 | 27 | #1,406 |
| 1929 | 162 | #532 | 36 | #1,156 |
| 1928 | 172 | #531 | 42 | #1,080 |
| 1927 | 177 | #534 | 33 | #1,278 |
| 1926 | 205 | #486 | 45 | #1,038 |
| 1925 | 183 | #526 | 24 | #1,542 |
| 1924 | 188 | #522 | 39 | #1,158 |
| 1923 | 189 | #505 | 41 | #1,118 |
| 1922 | 174 | #536 | 45 | #1,048 |
| 1921 | 150 | #591 | 41 | #1,106 |
| 1920 | 145 | #596 | 32 | #1,279 |
| 1919 | 158 | #549 | 34 | #1,211 |
| 1918 | 160 | #561 | 38 | #1,113 |
| 1917 | 147 | #557 | 21 | #1,602 |
| 1916 | 129 | #590 | 23 | #1,466 |
| 1915 | 152 | #503 | 26 | #1,313 |
| 1914 | 132 | #479 | 23 | #1,233 |
| 1913 | 116 | #464 | 12 | #1,602 |
| 1912 | 72 | #567 | 11 | #1,548 |
| 1911 | 68 | #502 | 5 | #1,800 |
| 1910 | 61 | #523 | 7 | #1,339 |
| 1909 | 52 | #524 | 8 | #1,101 |
| 1908 | 54 | #493 | under 5 | |
| 1907 | 64 | #448 | 8 | #1,018 |
| 1906 | 52 | #473 | 5 | #1,284 |
| 1905 | 39 | #558 | 6 | #1,127 |
| 1904 | 23 | #729 | under 5 | |
| 1903 | 28 | #633 | under 5 | |
| 1902 | 26 | #654 | under 5 | |
| 1901 | 23 | #666 | under 5 | |
| 1900 | 27 | #693 | under 5 | |
| 1899 | 19 | #733 | under 5 | |
| 1898 | 22 | #701 | under 5 | |
| 1897 | 16 | #798 | under 5 | |
| 1896 | 18 | #765 | under 5 | |
| 1895 | 16 | #794 | under 5 | |
| 1894 | 16 | #756 | under 5 | |
| 1893 | 10 | #970 | under 5 | |
| 1892 | 6 | #1,318 | under 5 | |
| 1891 | 6 | #1,237 | under 5 | |
| 1889 | 11 | #808 | under 5 | |
| 1887 | 7 | #968 | under 5 | |
| 1886 | 5 | #1,143 | under 5 | |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,082 | under 5 | |
| 1884 | 8 | #806 | under 5 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Delma a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 9,901 Americans recorded as Delma, 85% are girls and 15% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Delma: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Delma, and how old are they?
3,390 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 34% of the 9,901 Americans ever recorded as Delma. The median Delma alive today is 70 years old; half are between 60 and 79.
The 2020 Census counted 5,156 people named Delma (4,741 women and girls, 415 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 4,208 born in the U.S. The Census count is 23% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 741 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,650 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 701 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 198 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 60 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 19 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Delma born?
The states with the most babies named Delma are Texas, North Carolina and West Virginia, with 47% of its births recorded by state since 1910; West Virginia is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,730 | not ranked | 3.2× |
| North Carolina | 323 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| West Virginia | 292 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Kentucky | 276 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Virginia | 273 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Missouri | 207 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Tennessee | 198 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Oklahoma | 196 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| California | 173 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Arkansas | 150 | not ranked | 1.0× |
Where Delma is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Delma is most over-represented in Texas: since 1910 it was given 3.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Delma with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 10,980 babies since 1880, Delma is the most given (90% of them). In 2025 none of their 28 babies recorded by SSA was a Delma (SSA lists a name only with 5 or more babies of one sex).
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Delma
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Delma and names like it
- Compare Delma and DelmyBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sDelma peaked in 1926.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Delma since 1910.
- The top names of 1926The year the most babies were named Delma.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Delma alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with DMost given first.