# Delaney (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/delaney/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “from the alder grove” |
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈleɪni/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Dulaney |
| US babies named this | 46,650 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,213 / 45,437 (97% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 273, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From a Norman baronial surname, from a place in France, Old French del aunaie (“from the alder grove”). In Ireland an anglicization of Irish Ó Dubhshláine (descendant of Black (dubh) + Challenge (slán)).

## What it means

Delaney is grouped under forest.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,337 | 237 |
| 2012 | 1,260 | 257 |
| 2013 | 1,280 | 249 |
| 2014 | 1,232 | 268 |
| 2015 | 1,328 | 243 |
| 2016 | 1,207 | 263 |
| 2017 | 1,266 | 251 |
| 2018 | 1,315 | 249 |
| 2019 | 1,158 | 286 |
| 2020 | 1,024 | 313 |
| 2021 | 1,164 | 269 |
| 2022 | 1,255 | 244 |
| 2023 | 1,287 | 235 |
| 2024 | 1,435 | 216 |
| 2025 | 1,283 | 242 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 17 | 5,251 |
| 2012 | 16 | 5,533 |
| 2013 | 12 | 6,714 |
| 2014 | 8 | 8,967 |
| 2015 | 5 | 12,520 |
| 2016 | 9 | 8,302 |
| 2017 | 11 | 7,215 |
| 2018 | 15 | 5,834 |
| 2019 | 9 | 8,365 |
| 2020 | 17 | 5,300 |
| 2021 | 13 | 6,417 |
| 2022 | 5 | 12,791 |
| 2023 | 18 | 5,300 |
| 2024 | 8 | 9,200 |
| 2025 | 12 | 6,900 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5 | 4,049 |
| 2012 | 3 | 5,876 |
| 2013 | 5 | 4,050 |
| 2014 | 3 | 5,691 |
| 2015 | 11 | 2,328 |
| 2016 | 8 | 2,966 |
| 2017 | 11 | 2,341 |
| 2018 | 13 | 2,090 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2,643 |
| 2020 | 13 | 2,042 |
| 2021 | 13 | 2,073 |
| 2022 | 13 | 2,058 |
| 2023 | 10 | 2,504 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2,253 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2,788 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3 | 2,943 |
| 2001 | 3 | 3,134 |
| 2002 | 3 | 3,225 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3,467 |
| 2004 | 5 | 2,578 |
| 2005 | 5 | 2,754 |
| 2008 | 3 | 4,432 |
| 2009 | 3 | 4,527 |
| 2010 | 4 | 3,865 |
| 2012 | 5 | 3,416 |
| 2014 | 3 | 4,632 |
| 2017 | 4 | 3,996 |
| 2019 | 5 | 3,411 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4,608 |
| 2024 | 5 | 3,688 |

## People named Delaney

- Delaney Schnell, American diver
- Delaney Williams, American actor
- Delaney Rudd, American basketball player (born 1962)
- Delaney Spaulding, American softball player
- Kevin Kline, American actor (born 1947)
- Nancy Cartwright, American philosopher
- A. P. Carter, American country musician

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.