Delia

For other uses, see Delia (disambiguation).
Delia

A statue of the Delian-born goddess Artemis, found on the sacred island of Delos
Gender Feminine
Origin
Meaning generally "woman from the island of Delos"
Other names
Related names Delius (masculine equivalent); Adelia, Bedelia, Cordelia, Fidelia, Odelia

Delia is a feminine given name, either taken from an epithet of the Greek moon goddess Artemis or else representing a short form of Adelia, Bedelia, Cordelia or Odelia. Whatever its origin, Delia is not a very popular first name for American women.[1]

Meanings and origins

According to records for the 1901 Irish census, 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 Brighid (or Bríd) meaning "exalted one", which originally belonged to a pagan fertility goddess (later, to an important medieval saint).

In most cases, however, the name Delia refers to the tiny Greek island of Delos (Ancient Greek: Δῆλος), the birthplace of Artemis and her twin brother Apollo.

Bearers

People

Fictional characters

Other

References

  1. 1990 U.S. Census
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