Dulcinea
A Spanish feminine name meaning "sweet" or "sweetened one".
Name Census estimates that about 296 living Americans carry the first name Dulcinea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dulcinea today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dulcinea births was 2006 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dulcinea. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Dulcinea with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
296
~ 1 in 1,157,954 Americans
Peak year
2006
16 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,476
Tracked since 1921
Census
Dulcinea in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 415 people with the first name Dulcinea, which placed it at #23,539 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
#23,539
National first-name rank
People counted
415
415 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
48.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dulcinea
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dulcinea is Hispanic at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (38.6%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Dulcinea 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 Dulcinea at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.2% · 200
- White38.6% · 160
- Black or African American4.6% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 15
- Two or more races3.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 6
Popularity
Dulcinea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dulcinea from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 78 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dulcinea 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 Dulcinea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dulcineas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dulcinea
The name Dulcinea originates from Spanish and Portuguese origins, emerging during the medieval era. It is believed to be derived from the Latin words "dulcis" meaning sweet and "cineres" meaning ashes or cinders. The combination of these words suggests a poetic allusion to the sweetness arising from ashes or adversity.
Dulcinea is most famously associated with Miguel de Cervantes' literary masterpiece "Don Quixote," published in the early 17th century. In this classic novel, Dulcinea is the name given to the idealized and imaginary lady-love of the protagonist, Don Quixote. Her character symbolizes the concept of courtly love and the chivalric ideals upheld by the knight-errant.
One of the earliest historical records of the name Dulcinea can be found in the 13th century, referring to a Spanish noblewoman named Dulcinea de Aragón (birth and death years unknown). She was a prominent figure in the court of King James I of Aragon and is mentioned in various chronicles of the time.
Another notable individual bearing this name was Dulcinea del Toboso (birth and death years unknown), a fictional character from Cervantes' "Don Quixote." Although not a real person, her symbolic presence in the novel has profoundly influenced the cultural significance of the name.
In the 19th century, Dulcinea Ibañez y García Cano (1836-1863) was a Spanish writer and poet who contributed to the Romantic literary movement in Spain. Her works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
During the 20th century, Dulcinea Langfelder (1916-2002) was an American artist and sculptor known for her abstract and modernist works. Her sculptures can be found in various public spaces and museums across the United States.
Additionally, Dulcinea Cantio-Gaurí (1966-present) is a contemporary Spanish-Indian actress and dancer. She has gained recognition for her performances in various theatrical productions, showcasing her talent in both dramatic and dance roles.
These examples illustrate the enduring presence of the name Dulcinea throughout different historical periods and cultural contexts. From literary icons to artistic pioneers, this name has been imbued with a sense of romantic idealism, creativity, and resilience.
People
Dulcinea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dulcinea 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
Dulcinea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dulcinea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 296 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dulcinea 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 1,157,954 US residents.
Is Dulcinea a common name?
We classify Dulcinea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 325 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dulcinea most popular?
The single biggest year for Dulcinea was 2006, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dulcinea is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dulcinea in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 415 people with the name Dulcinea, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,539 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 Dulcinea 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 Dulcinea?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dulcinea appears almost entirely female. Of the 415 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Dulcinea?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dulcinea is Hispanic at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (38.6%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Dulcinea most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Dulcinea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.2% (200 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 Dulcinea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dulcinea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dulcinea in the SSA data are female. 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 Dulcinea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dulcinea 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 Dulcinea 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 Dulcinea?
See how many people share the name Dulcinea on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.