Delia is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

, either taken from an epithet of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

moon goddess A lunar deity or moon deity is a deity who represents the Moon, or an aspect of it. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related. Lunar deities and Moon worship can be found ...

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

, or else representing a short form of '' Adelia'', '' Bedelia'', ''

Cordelia Cordelia is a feminine given name. It was borne by the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' (1606), a character based on the List of legendary kings of Britain, legendary queen Cordelia of Britain, Cordelia. The name is of uncertain origi ...

'' or '' Odelia''.

Meanings and origins

According to records for the 1901

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, there were 6,260 persons named Delia living that year in all 32 counties of Ireland, with 256 more bearing the full forename ''Bedelia'' (plus 59 other persons with the variant spelling ''Bidelia'', and 361 ''Biddy'', 529 ''Bride'' and 153984 ''Bridget''). These related names originated as English renderings of the

Irish name A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, surnames are generally patronymic in etymology but are no longer literal patronyms as, for example, most Icelandic names still are. The form of a surname varies ...

''Brighid'' (or ''Bríd'') meaning "exalted one", which originally belonged to a pagan

fertility goddess A fertility deity is a god or goddess associated with fertility, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, and crops. In some cases these deities are directly associated with these experiences; in others they are more abstract symbols. Fertility rites may a ...

(later, to an important medieval saint). In most cases, however, the name Delia refers to the tiny

Greek island Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

of Delos ( grc, Δῆλος), the

birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

place of Artemis and her twin brother

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

People

Delia Akeley Delia Julia "Mickie" Akeley ( Denning, formerly Reiss, later Howe; December 5, 1869 – May 22, 1970) was an American explorer. She was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, a daughter of Irish immigrants, Patrick and Margaret ( Hanberry) Denning. Ear ...

(1869–1970), American explorer * Delia Arnold (born 1986), Malaysian professional squash player *

Delia Bacon Delia Salter Bacon (February 2, 1811 – September 2, 1859) was an American writer of plays and short stories and Shakespeare scholar. She is best known for her work on the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, which she attributed to social reformer ...

(1811–1859), American author and Shakespearean scholar *

Delia Boccardo Delia Boccardo (born 29 January 1948) is an Italian film, television and stage actress. Life and career Born in Genoa, Boccardo spent her childhood and adolescence in Nervi, then studied at a Swiss college, at the Poggio Imperiale girls' sch ...

(born 1948), Italian actress *

Didi Contractor Delia Narayan "Didi" Contractor (née Kinzinger; 1929 – July 5, 2021) was an American artist and builder known for her work on the vernacular traditions in India, using adobe, bamboo and stone for materials. She was a recipient of the Nari Sha ...

(1929–2021, née Delia Kinzinger), German-American architect *

Delia Derbyshire Delia Ann Derbyshire (5 May 1937 – 3 July 2001) was an English musician and composer of electronic music. She carried out notable work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop during the 1960s, including her electronic arrangement of the theme ...

(1937–2001), British musician and composer of electronic music *

Delia Ephron Delia Ephron ( ; born July 12, 1944) is an American bestselling author, screenwriter, and playwright. Life and career Ephron was born in New York City, the second eldest of four daughters of screenwriters Phoebe and Henry Ephron. Her movies i ...

(born 1944), American author, screenwriter and playwright *

Delia Fiallo Delia Fiallo (4 July 1924 – 29 June 2021) was a Cuban author and screenwriter who lived in Miami, Florida. She was one of the most distinguished representatives of the contemporary romance novel, dabbling in various genres which appeared in he ...

(1924–2021), Cuban romance novelist and screenwriter * Delia Garcés (1919–2001), Argentine film actress *

Delia Gonzalez Delia 'Chikita' Gonzalez (born November 20, 1971) is an American former flyweight female boxer. She has a record of 13-9-4 with 3 knockout wins, although several of her losses have been controversial. Personal and early life Gonzalez is Mex ...

(born 1970), American boxer *

Delia Green Delia Green (1886 – December 25, 1900) was a 14-year-old African-American murder victim who has been identified as the likely inspiration for several well-known traditional American songs, usually known by the titles "Delia" or "Delia's Gone" o ...

(1886–1900), teenage African-American murder victim, reported inspiration for several traditional blues songs *

Delia Grigore Delia Grigore (Romani: ''Deliya Grigore''; born February 7, 1972) is a Romanian Romani writer, philologist, academic, and Romani rights activist. Biography Delia Grigore was born in Galați and grew up under the Romanian communist regime, whe ...

(born 1972), Romanian Romani writer, philologist, academic and Romani rights activist
Delia Knox
(born 1962), Pastor, Gospel singer/recording artist *

Delia Opekokew Delia Opekokew is a Cree lawyer and writer from the Canoe Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. She was the first First Nations woman lawyer to ever be admitted to the bar association in Ontario and in Saskatchewan,

, Cree lawyer and writer *

Delia Lawrie Delia Phoebe Lawrie (born 30 July 1966) is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2016, representing the electorate of Karama. She was a Labor member from 2001 to 2015, and served ...

(born 1966), Australian politician *

Delia Matache Delia Matache (born 7 February 1982), commonly referred to as simply Delia, is a Romanian singer and songwriter. She has established herself as one of the most successful Romanian artists, releasing multiple hit singles on native record charts, ...

(born 1982), Romanian pop singer * Delia Mathews (born 1990), New Zealand-born ballet dancer *

Delia Mayer Delia Mayer (born 8 March 1967) is a Hong Kong-born Swiss actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Isabel Becker in the German television series '' Die Cleveren'' and as Miriam Shapiro in the German-American television drama mini-series ...

(born 1967), Swiss actress and singer * Deliana Delia Meulenkamp (1933–2013), also known by her married name Delia Dooling, Dutch-born American swimmer * Delia Parodi (1913–1991), Argentine politician *

Delia Scala Delia Scala (born Odette Bedogni; 25 September 1929 – 15 January 2004) was an Italian ballerina, actress and singer who played a leading role in the nascent ''commedia musicale''. Career Scala was born as Odette Bedogni in Bracciano, Lazi ...

(1929–2004), Italian ballerina and actress * Cordelia

Delia Sherman Cordelia Caroline Sherman (born 1951, Tokyo, Japan), known professionally as Delia Sherman, is an American fantasy writer and editor. Her novel ''The Porcelain Dove'' won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Background Sherman attended The Chapin Scho ...

(born 1951), American fantasy writer and editor *

Delia Smith Delia Ann Smith (born 18 June 1941) is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills in a no-nonsense style. One of the best known celebrity chefs in British popular culture, Smith has influenced viewers t ...

(born 1941), English celebrity chef and cookery writer * Delia Vaudan, Italian luger who competed from the late 1970s to the early 1990s * Delia Villegas Vorhauer (1940–1992), American, Latina social worker *

Delia Webster Delia Ann Webster (December 17, 1817 – January 18, 1904) was an American teacher, author, businesswoman and abolitionist in Kentucky who, with Calvin Fairbank, aided many slaves, including Lewis Hayden, his wife Harriet, and their son Joseph to e ...

(1817–1904), American teacher, author, businesswoman and abolitionist

Fictional characters

Delia Brown Delia Brown (born 1969) is a Los Angeles-based artist originally from California. She is one of several artists who gained notice at a moment when much attention was being paid to the graduates of Los Angeles-area MFA programs. Life and work B ...

, on the American TV show ''

Everwood ''Everwood'' (known as ''Our New Life in Everwood'' in the United Kingdom) is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti, Mickey Liddell, Rina Mimoun, Andrew A. Ackerman and Michael Green served as executive produce ...

'' (2002–2006; played by

Vivien Cardone Vivien Elisabeth Cardone (born April 14, 1993) is an American actress, known for her role as Doctor Brown's daughter Delia on The WB's ''Everwood'' from 2002 to 2006. She has appeared in '' One Life to Live'' (2011), ''Theater, Interrupted'' (2020 ...

) * Delia Banks, on the TV show '' Ghost Whisperer'' (2005–2010; played by

Camryn Manheim Debra Frances "Camryn" Manheim (born March 8, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's '' The Practice'', Delia Banks on CBS's '' Ghost Whisperer'', Gladys Presley in the 2005 miniseries '' Elvis'', and ...

) * Delia Busby, from the television show ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Ha ...

'' * Delia Cahel, from the

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

play '' Cathleen ni Houlihan'' * Delia Deetz, from the 1988 movie ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...

'', played by Catherine O'Hara * Delia Delfano, from the Disney Channel sitcom '' I Didn't Do It''. *

Delia Ketchum Delia is a feminine given name, either taken from an epithet of the Greek mythology, Greek moon goddess Artemis, or else representing a Abbreviation, short form of ''Adela (name), Adelia'', ''Bridget (given name), Bedelia'', ''Cordelia'' or ''Odil ...

from '' Pokémon'', the mother of

Ash Ketchum Ash Ketchum, known as in Japan, is a fictional character in the ''Pokémon'' franchise owned by Nintendo. He is the protagonist of the ''Pokémon'' anime and certain manga series as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise. I ...

* Delia Dantes, in Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland's ''Menagerie'' book trilogy * Delia York, in the made-for-TV movie '' Omen IV: The Awakening'' (1991; played by Asia Vieira) * Delia Jones, the main character in

Zora Neal Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on hoodoo. The most popular of her four no ...

's short story ''

Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distrib ...

'' * Delia, a player character in the Korean MMO '' Vindictus''. * Delia DeLions, protagonist in Grateful Dead song "Stagger Lee" * Delia Abott, on the TV Soap Opera '' The Young & The Restless'' * Delia, the romantic interest of the Roman love poet

Tibullus Albius Tibullus ( BC19 BC) was a Latin poet and writer of elegies. His first and second books of poetry are extant; many other texts attributed to him are of questionable origins. Little is known about the life of Tibullus. There are only a f ...

's first book.

References

{{given name English feminine given names Spanish feminine given names Romanian feminine given names Epithets of Artemis Hypocorisms