girls' name ★ peaked 1917

Della

Meaning Possibly a variant of Adela or Delia Gender Girl Rank 2025 #563 Trend ↑ Rising 66%

Possibly a variant of Adela or Delia.

Rank 2025
#563
among girls · ↑17 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
533
named Della · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,016
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1917
1,198 babies
All-time total
70,949
#473 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Della popularity over time

70,949 babies have been named Della since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 5,048 6 5,054 505 – #60
1890s 6,410 10 6,420 642 +27% #72
1900s 5,958 6 5,964 596 -7% #90
1910s 9,450 31 9,481 948 +59% #130
1920s 10,366 57 10,423 1,042 +10% #183
1930s 7,950 22 7,972 797 -24% #206
1940s 6,358 7 6,365 637 -20% #248
1950s 6,038 – 6,038 604 -5% #308
1960s 4,583 – 4,583 458 -24% #353
1970s 1,804 – 1,804 180 -61% #599
1980s 814 – 814 81 -55% #1,221
1990s 512 – 512 51 -37% #2,248
2000s 719 – 719 72 +40% #1,852
2010s 2,156 – 2,156 216 +200% #808
2020s (to 2025) 2,644 – 2,644 441 +104% #563

Where Della is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 578 0.36 outside top 500
2027 618 0.38 #485
2028 655 0.41 #470
2029 689 0.43 #449
2030 718 0.45 #432

Where Della is most popular

Girls named Della per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.291 per 1,000. Strongest in Nebraska, North Dakota, and Iowa.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Della born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nebraska 51 1.42 +388%
North Dakota 13 0.989 +240%
Iowa 52 0.890 +206%
Montana 12 0.886 +205%
Utah 70 0.841 +189%
South Dakota 12 0.841 +189%
Idaho 28 0.837 +188%
Mississippi 36 0.770 +165%
Minnesota 81 0.751 +158%
Missouri 86 0.714 +145%
Wisconsin 70 0.680 +134%
Alabama 59 0.628 +116%
Arkansas 32 0.605 +108%
Indiana 85 0.605 +108%
Tennessee 89 0.562 +93%
Kansas 31 0.537 +85%
Kentucky 44 0.514 +77%
South Carolina 45 0.501 +72%
West Virginia 13 0.496 +71%
Ohio 114 0.480 +65%
Oklahoma 35 0.476 +63%
Louisiana 40 0.457 +57%
North Carolina 98 0.430 +48%
Washington 62 0.429 +48%
Illinois 98 0.428 +47%
Colorado 47 0.421 +45%
Michigan 72 0.395 +36%
Virginia 64 0.375 +29%
Georgia 83 0.365 +26%
Oregon 23 0.353 +21%
Pennsylvania 79 0.334 +15%
Arizona 34 0.242 -17%
Florida 79 0.185 -37%
New Jersey 31 0.172 -41%
Maryland 18 0.170 -42%
Texas 123 0.153 -47%
New York 59 0.149 -49%
Massachusetts 18 0.149 -49%
California 119 0.142 -51%
Connecticut 6 0.103 -65%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Della

Della is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #563 in 2025 with 533 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 70,949 American babies have been named Della. Its peak came in 1917, when 1,198 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Della stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Della?

The median living Della is about 65 years old; half are between 36 and 77. An estimated 24 thousand people named Della are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Della year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 533 #563 – –
2024 520 #580 – –
2023 453 #645 – –
2022 449 #660 – –
2021 405 #710 – –
2020 284 #916 – –
2019 339 #808 – –
2018 314 #864 – –
2017 252 #1,028 – –
2016 248 #1,052 – –
2015 218 #1,156 – –
2014 194 #1,249 – –
2013 164 #1,400 – –
2012 174 #1,348 – –
2011 120 #1,724 – –
2010 133 #1,625 – –
2009 115 #1,852 – –
2008 77 #2,469 – –
2007 68 #2,690 – –
2006 87 #2,211 – –
2005 78 #2,300 – –
2004 75 #2,313 – –
2003 68 #2,419 – –
2002 62 #2,530 – –
2001 44 #3,154 – –
2000 45 #3,084 – –
1995 53 #2,427 – –
1990 56 #2,264 – –
1985 59 #1,888 – –
1980 108 #1,221 – –
1975 165 #824 – –
1970 291 #599 – –
1965 389 #482 – –
1960 745 #353 – –
1955 590 #359 – –
1950 620 #312 – –
1945 532 #297 – –
1940 650 #248 – –
1935 774 #220 – –
1930 887 #207 – –
1925 1,028 #198 6 #3,839
1920 1,137 #183 – –
1915 1,086 #169 – –
1910 602 #137 – –
1905 593 #109 – –
1900 748 #90 – –
1895 648 #86 5 #1,120
1890 631 #72 – –
1885 500 #71 – –
1880 391 #66 – –

Famous people named Della

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Della Reese Della Reese American singer and actress (1931–2017) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Della, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Della?

The median living Della is about 65 years old. Half of all living Dellas are between 36 and 77 years old.

How many people named Della are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Della are alive in the United States, based on 70,949 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Della mean?

Possibly a variant of Adela or Delia.

How popular is the name Della in 2025?

Della ranked #563 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 533 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Della?

70,949 babies have been named Della in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Della most popular?

Della peaked in 1917, when 1,198 newborns received the name.

Is Della a boy or girl name?

Della is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Della rising or falling?

Della is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Della become more popular?

Della is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 718 girls named Della in 2030, which would rank around #432. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Della?

Well-known people named Della include Della Reese (actor).

Names like Della

Names that sound and feel close to Della: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Della with similar names → More names starting with D →