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Delilah

di-LIE-luh
Hebrew or Arabic
"delicate"
Clare Green
By Clare Green
Updated Mon Jul 14 2025

Delilah Origin and Meaning

The name Delilah is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "delicate".

Melodic and lively, Delilah has cut itself (mostly) free from its treacherous past to become a contemporary favorite.

Though some people are naturally still put off by the deceptive Biblical figure, a large number of parents have been tempted by Delilah’s charms, meaning it now ranks in the Top 100 in the US, the UK, and Australia.

Delilah is a Hebrew name, meaning "weak and languishing", or, more appealingly, "delicate." In the Old Testament, Delilah was the lover of Samson, but she betrayed him by cutting off the source of his strength – his hair – before handing him over to his enemies.

Despite this negative namesake, Delilah has been occasionally used in the English-speaking world since the 1600’s when it was revived by the Puritans.

It danced in and out of the charts during the 20th century, but by the mid 2000’s, it began to make significant gains. By 2018, it was in the Top 100, where it’s continued to rise ever since.

With its alluring cadence, Delilah has been a hit in the music world. Camille Saint-Saens composed an opera based on the Biblical story in the 1880’s, while Tom Jones saw success in the 60’s with his song "Delilah."

Other artists who have sung about her include Queen, Chuck Berry, Sufjan Stevens, and Florence and the Machine, though it was after the release of the Plain White T’s song, "Hey there Delilah" that the name really jumped up the charts in 2007.

Actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna were well ahead of the trend when they named their daughter Delilah back in 1998, and since then, it’s been a sparkling choice for celebrities. Kimberly Stewart, Benicio del Toro, Laurence Fishburne, Gina Torres, and Keira Knightley are among those who’ve selected Delilah for their daughters.

Given to nearly 4000 babies every year, Delilah is still on the rise, while its international form, Dalila, remains popular in Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

If the sparkly, energetic sounds of Delilah do appeal to you, but the popularity or associations don’t sit right, then you could consider Tallulah, Keziah, Alaia, Azura, Talitha, or Fifer.

# 50 in the US

Delilah Rank in US Top 1000

# 104 on Nameberry

Delilah Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Delilah

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Famous People Named Delilah

  • Delilah
    Biblical seductress of Samson
  • Delilah Rene Luke
    American radio personality
  • Delilah (born Paloma Ayana Stoecker)
    British singer,songwriter
  • Delilah Leontium Beasley
    American historian and newspaper columnist
  • Delilah Cotto
    American actress
  • Delilah DiCrescenzo
    American distance runner
  • Delilah S. Dawson
    American novelist under the pen names Lila Bowen and Ava Lovelace
  • Delilah Belle Hamlin (b. 1998)
    daughter of actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna
  • Delilah Fishburne (b. 2007)
    daughter of actors Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres
  • Delilah Genoveva del Toro (b. 2011)
    daughter of actors Benicio del Toro and Kimberly Stewart
  • Delilah Grace Cavendish (b. 2012)
    daughter of cyclist Mark Cavendish and model Peta Todd
  • Delilah Grace Fabian (b. 2012)
    daughter of actor Patrick Fabian
  • Delilah Grace Wilshere (b. 2013)
    daughter of footballer Jack Wilshere
  • Delilah Adey Elizabeth Moore (b. 2013)
    daughter of field hockey player Rob Moore
  • Delilah McEvedy
    daughter of TV chef Allegra McEvedy
  • Panda Delilah Spencer (b. 2006)
    daughter of musicians Kimya Dawson and Angelo Spencer
  • Delilah Righton (b. 2019)
    daughter of Keira Knightley and James Righton.
  • Delilah Rose Clifford (b. 2020)
    daughter of Camryn Leigh Clifford and Landon Clifford Family Vloggers on YouTube

The name Delilah in Pop Culture

  • Delilah Belle Babcock
    main female character in Scarlett Avery’s book “Delectably British”.
  • Delilah Loud
    character on TV's "An American Family"
  • Delilah Fielding McGee
    DoD Analyst and wife of Timothy McGee on TV's "NCIS"
  • Delilah Buchanan
    character on TV's "The 5 Mrs. Buchanans"
  • Delilah
    dog in movie "Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco"
  • Delilah Ralston
    character on American soap "One Life to Live"
  • Delilah
    character in Spider,Man comics
  • Delilah
    horse on British TV series "Steptoe & Son"
  • "Delilah & Julius
    " animated TV series and one of its main characters
  • "Delilah
    " Canadian TV series and its main character
  • "Delilah
    " novel by Marcus Goodrich about the ship USS Delilah
  • "Hey There Delilah
    " song by Plain White T's
  • "Delilah
    " song by by Tom Jones
  • "Delilah
    " song by Queen
  • "Beautiful Delilah
    " song by the Kinks
  • Delilah
    minor character from Supernatural season 10
  • "Delilah
    " song by Florence and the Machine
  • Delilah "Lila" Bard
    character from the Shades of Magic book series by V.E. Schwab
  • Delilah Copperspoon
    character in video game "Dishonored"
  • Delilah Hannaford
    title character of Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
  • Delilah
    name of character from Netflix show, 'You' S2

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