2000
#1,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,236
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.58
Uncommon Last name
Delaney
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dubhshláine, meaning "descendant of Dubhshláine," derived from the Gaelic elements dubh (dark) and slán (defiance).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,966 Americans carry the last name Delaney. That puts it at #1,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delaney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Delaney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,530
Census rank
#1,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,364 bearers of the surname Delaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delaney
The surname Delaney has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Dulaine" or "O'Dulanty," which translates to "descendant of the leader" or "descendant of the challenger."
The name is believed to have originated in County Laois, a region in the eastern part of Ireland. The prefix "O" in the original Gaelic form indicates that the name belonged to one of the ancient Celtic clans that ruled various parts of the country before the Norman invasion.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a celebrated medieval chronicle of Irish history compiled in the 17th century. These annals mention several individuals with the name Delaney, such as Donough O'Dulanty, a prominent chieftain who lived in the 13th century.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Delany, Delaunie, Delauny, and Delaunie, reflecting the influence of different languages and dialects in Ireland. The modern spelling, Delaney, became more standardized in the 17th and 18th centuries.
One notable figure bearing the Delaney surname was Patrick Delaney (1685-1768), an Irish Franciscan friar who played a significant role in the establishment of the Catholic Church in the United States. He is considered one of the founders of the first Catholic parish in New York City.
Another prominent individual was Mary Delaney (1700-1788), an English artist and courtier known for her intricate paper mosaics and her correspondence with prominent figures of the time, including Jonathan Swift and Mary Granville.
In the realm of literature, Shelagh Delaney (1938-2011) was a renowned English dramatist and screenwriter, best known for her play "A Taste of Honey," which explored societal issues such as race, class, and gender identity.
The name Delaney has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Delaney's Glen in County Tipperary and Delaney's Rock in County Wicklow, further reinforcing its deep-rooted connection to the Irish landscape and history.
Throughout the centuries, the Delaney surname has spread across the globe, carried by Irish emigrants who settled in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Delaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Delaney bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Delaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 25,490
- Black or African American10.6% · 3,323
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,120
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,092
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 232
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delaney
Delaney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,218
+1,982 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 11.26
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#1,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,364
-1,854 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 10.49
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,027 | 31,236 | 11.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,057 | 33,218 | 11.26 | +1,982 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #1,101 | 31,364 | 10.49 | -1,854 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 44 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Delaney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,057 | #1,101 | -4.2% |
| Count | 33,218 | 31,364 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 11.26 | 10.49 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delaney bearers went from 33,218 to 31,364 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,057 to #1,101.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Delaney
FAQ
Delaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delaney?
Name Census estimates that about 35,966 living Americans carry the surname Delaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,530 residents.
How common is Delaney?
Delaney ranks #1,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,364 people with the surname Delaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,966), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Delaney.
Has Delaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delaney went from 33,218 recorded bearers to 31,364. That is a decrease of 1,854 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,057 to #1,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Delaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Delaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (25,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Delaney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Delaney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dubhshláine, meaning "descendant of Dubhshláine," derived from the Gaelic elements dubh (dark) and slán (defiance). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Delaney (10.49 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Delaney?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.