Delilah
The story
Delilah comes from a Hebrew word glossed as delicate, weak, or languishing, not seductive. Seduction belongs to later readings of the biblical character, not to the literal root. In Judges, Delilah betrays Samson to the Philistines after learning that his uncut hair marks the source of his strength. That story gave the name a dangerous reputation, yet English Puritans still used it in the seventeenth century, and it never disappeared entirely. The US curve begins moving again in the 1990s, rises through the 2000s and 2010s, and reaches its highest point in the 2020s. Modern parents are clearly not treating the character as a permanent ban. Delilah pairs a lush sound with a difficult old story, but its meaning card should keep those two things separate: etymology describes the word; culture supplies the femme-fatale association.
Delilah in song
Delilah
Tom Jones (1968)
A murder ballad hiding inside a waltz, sung with such gusto by Tom Jones that Welsh rugby crowds adopted it as an anthem.
Hey There Delilah
Plain White T's (2006)
A long-distance love letter written for a real runner named Delilah DiCrescenzo, who was not actually dating him.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Delilah peaked in the 2020s.
When you meet Delilah
Most people given the name Delilah in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Delilah deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Delilah truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Delilah fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Delilah · Nicknames for Delilah · Middle names for Delilah
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