2000
#46,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Delon
From a surname referring to someone with an occupation involving long hours or late nights.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 521 Americans carry the last name Delon. That puts it at #49,914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 657,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delon 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.
Bearers in the US
521
1 in 657,878
Census rank
#49,914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
454
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 454 bearers of the surname Delon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delon, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (39.9%) and Black (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delon
The surname DELON originated in France during the medieval period. It derives from the Old French word "del on," meaning "from the source or spring." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a natural spring or well.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "de Lone" or "de Lonne" in various documents from the 12th and 13th centuries in the Île-de-France region. These spellings likely referred to specific place names that no longer exist or have evolved over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DELON surname can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. It mentions a "Petrus de Lone" as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1187.
During the 13th century, the DELON name appeared in the Rôles des Fiefs du Comté de Champagne, a record of feudal landholdings in the County of Champagne. This document lists a "Guibertus Delon" as a tenant of the Count in the year 1249.
A notable bearer of the DELON surname was Jean Delon (c. 1495 - 1563), a French poet and diplomat who served as the Ambassador of France to the Ottoman Empire under King Francis I. He is remembered for his collection of poems titled "Les Regrets" published in 1558.
In the 17th century, Jacques Delon (1615 - 1678) was a French painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and worked primarily in Paris.
During the 18th century, the DELON name appeared in records from the Burgundy region of France. One notable figure was Claude Delon (1732 - 1807), a vintner and winemaker who is credited with improving the quality of the region's wines through innovative techniques.
In more recent history, Alain Delon (born 1935) is a famous French actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous critically acclaimed films such as "Le Samouraï," "Borsalino," and "The Leopard." Delon is considered one of the greatest actors of European cinema and has received numerous honors for his work.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delon
Among Census respondents with the surname Delon, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (39.9%) and Black (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Delon 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 Delon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.0% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino39.9% · 181
- Black or African American6.8% · 31
- Two or more races3.1% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delon
Delon 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
#44,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 481
+53 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 2,105 places
2020
#49,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 454
-27 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 5,261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,758 | 428 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #44,653 | 481 | 0.16 | +53 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 2,105 places |
| 2020 | #49,914 | 454 | 0.15 | -27 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 5,261 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 Delon 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 | #44,653 | #49,914 | -11.8% |
| Count | 481 | 454 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.15 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delon bearers went from 481 to 454 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 5,261 positions in the national ranking, going from #44,653 to #49,914.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Delon
FAQ
Delon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delon?
Name Census estimates that about 521 living Americans carry the surname Delon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 657,878 residents.
How common is Delon?
Delon ranks #49,914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 454 people with the surname Delon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (521), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Delon.
Has Delon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delon went from 481 recorded bearers to 454. That is a decrease of 27 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #44,653 to #49,914.
What does the Census say about the background of Delon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delon, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (39.9%) and Black (6.8%). 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 Delon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (218 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.0%), Hispanic (39.9%), Black (6.8%). 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 Delon (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 Delon mean?
From a surname referring to someone with an occupation involving long hours or late nights. 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 Delon (0.15 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 have the surname Delon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.