Delilah

#13 in Wyoming

Meaning of Delilah

Delilah—pronounced duh-LIE-luh—originates from the Hebrew דְּלִילָה (Dəlīlāh), usually interpreted as “delicate” or “soft-spoken,” yet her earliest literary incarnation in the Book of Judges is anything but fragile: the Philistine femme fatale whose calculated betrayal of Samson still shimmers across centuries of art, canto, and canvas. Despite this ambivalent archetype, the name has undergone a remarkable rehabilitation; in the Latin world it is often heard as Dalila, rolling off the tongue like a bolero refrain, and in Anglophone settings it has been buoyed by popular music, from Tom Jones’s dramatic “Delilah” to the tender indie ballad “Hey There Delilah.” U.S. vital-statistics confirm the renaissance: after languishing near rank 570 at the turn of the millennium, the name has ascended steadily—an upward trajectory that now situates Delilah among the nation’s fifty most-chosen girls’ names, a statistical blossoming comparable to a bugambilia opening under tropical dusk. Consequently, contemporary parents appear to read the story less as a cautionary tale and more as a testament to charisma, independence, and lyrical beauty, demonstrating how cultural memory, like a palimpsest, can be rewritten by new melodies and modern sensibilities.

Pronunciation

English

  • Pronunced as duh-LIE-luh (/dəˈlaɪ.lə/)

U.S. Popularity Chart

States Popularity Chart

Notable People Named Delilah

Paloma Ayana Stoecker, known as Delilah, is a Paris-born English singer and songwriter who moved to London young and signed to Atlantic Records at 17 after her demos drew major label attention.
Delilah is an American radio host, author, and songwriter known for her nationally syndicated nightly request and dedication show with about eight million listeners, first heard in Seattle as Delilah Rene.
Delilah DiCrescenzo is an American 3000 meter steeplechase runner and Columbia alum who competed internationally for the New York Athletic Club, trained with the NJ NY Track Club, and earned Puma sponsorship.
Elena Sandoval
Curated byElena Sandoval

Assistant Editor