Delvan
Of mixed English and Welsh origins, meaning from the valley dell.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Delvan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Delvan today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Delvan births was 1928 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Delvan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Delvan is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Delvans were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Delvan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1928
6 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1949 SSA rank
#3,400
Tracked since 1928
Census
Delvan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 131 people with the first name Delvan, which placed it at #48,547 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,547
National first-name rank
People counted
131
131 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
46.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delvan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delvan is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Hispanic (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Delvan 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Delvan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.6% · 61
- White37.4% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 9
- Two or more races6.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 2
Popularity
Delvan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Delvan from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Delvan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Delvan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Delvan
The name Delvan is a relatively uncommon given name with origins tracing back to ancient Persia, now modern-day Iran. The earliest recorded use of the name can be found in the Avestan language, an East Iranian language that was used in ancient Zoroastrian scripture. Delvan is believed to be derived from the Avestan word "Daēvān," which means "divine" or "celestial."
In ancient Persian culture, names often carried religious or spiritual significance, and Delvan was likely chosen for its connection to the divine realm. The name may have been bestowed upon individuals in the hope that they would lead a righteous and virtuous life, guided by celestial forces.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Delvan was a Persian nobleman who lived during the Sassanid Empire, which ruled over Persia from the 3rd to the 7th century AD. This particular Delvan was known for his wisdom and his contributions to the arts, serving as a patron to various poets and scholars of his time.
Another notable figure bearing the name Delvan was a 9th-century Persian scholar and philosopher. He was renowned for his writings on ethics, metaphysics, and the nature of the soul. His works were highly influential during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of great intellectual and cultural flourishing in the Middle East.
In the 12th century, a Persian military commander named Delvan rose to prominence during the Seljuk Empire. He was celebrated for his strategic prowess and his loyalty to the Sultan, leading numerous successful campaigns against rival forces.
During the 16th century, a Persian poet and mystic named Delvan gained recognition for his poignant and spiritually-inspired verses. His poetry often explored themes of divine love, the human condition, and the quest for enlightenment, resonating with readers across the Persian-speaking world.
In more recent times, a prominent Persian artist and calligrapher known as Delvan Abdollahi (1932-2018) gained international acclaim for his masterful works of calligraphic art. His pieces celebrated the beauty and fluidity of the Persian script, capturing the essence of traditional Islamic art while also incorporating modern elements.
While the name Delvan has its roots in ancient Persia, it has transcended its cultural boundaries and has been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds throughout history. Its celestial connotations and deep-seated connection to the divine have made it a name that carries a sense of reverence and spiritual significance.
People
Delvan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Delvan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Delvan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Delvan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Delvan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Delvan a common name?
We classify Delvan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Delvan most popular?
The single biggest year for Delvan was 1928, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Delvan is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Delvan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 131 people with the name Delvan, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,547 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Delvan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Delvan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Delvan leans strongly male. 115 people counted with this name were male (87.8%), compared with 16 female bearers (12.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Delvan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Delvan is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Hispanic (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Delvan most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Delvan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.6% (61 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Delvan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Delvan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Delvan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Delvan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Delvan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Delvan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Delvan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.