Della
Della was the 563rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 533 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 60th; the most babies were born in 1917 (1,192). Over the last ten years it has moved up 593 places. More babies were named Della in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning 19th-century name, perhaps from Adela or Delia · English
Say it DEL-uh /ˈdɛlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #563 girls, up 353 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 533girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19171,192 babies
- Total since 1880
- 70,949babies recorded
What does the name Della mean?
Della appeared as an English given name in the 19th century. Wiktionary calls it possibly a variant of Adela or Delia. Adela is Germanic, from adal, noble (DMNES); Delia, Wiktionary notes, is a Greek epithet of the goddess Artemis, referring to her birth on the island of Delos. Because the source is not certain, Della has no single meaning. In the US it was most popular in the early 1900s.
adal (Old High German, “noble (via Adela)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Wiktionary: 'possibly' from Adela or Delia.
Related names: Adela, Delia, Adele.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Della' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Adela', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Delia' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Della popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 139 since 1888.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #563 | 533 |
| 2020 | #916 | 284 |
| 2010 | #1,625 | 133 |
| 2000 | #3,084 | 45 |
| 1990 | #2,264 | 56 |
| 1980 | #1,221 | 108 |
| 1970 | #599 | 291 |
| 1960 | #353 | 745 |
| 1950 | #312 | 620 |
| 1940 | #248 | 650 |
| 1930 | #207 | 887 |
| 1920 | #183 | 1,137 |
| 1910 | #137 | 602 |
| 1900 | #90 | 748 |
| 1890 | #72 | 631 |
| 1880 | #66 | 391 |
How popular is Della, counting every spelling?
Della is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #538 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #563 for Della on its own. Together these spellings went to 559 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Della | 533 | #563 | 2,360 |
| Dela | 19 | #6,176 | 66 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Della?
533 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Della (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Della born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Della.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Della?
About 22,500 people born in the US named Della are alive today, with a median age of 64; half are between 30 and 76. That makes Della a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Della by state
How common Della was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nebraska (4.9×), Iowa (3.1×), Utah (2.9×), Idaho (2.9×), Mississippi (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Connecticut, California, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Della: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Della, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Della
What does Della mean?
Della is usually explained as “19th-century name, perhaps from Adela or Delia”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Della?
Della was the 563rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 533 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 60th; the most babies were born in 1917 (1,192). Over the last ten years it has moved up 593 places. More babies were named Della in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Della a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Della in the US.
Where is Della most popular?
In 2021–2025, Della was most common in Nebraska (1.42 per 1,000 girls), followed by North Dakota and Iowa.