NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Delta

Derived from the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, a feminine name symbolizing change.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Delta is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Delta popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3695, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2003, with 13 births.

This profile covers 156 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 2003 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 46% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 155 living people in the UK are called Delta. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Delta ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2003, when 13 girls were registered as Delta.
  • About 155 living people in the UK are estimated to have Delta as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3695

2024

Births in 2024

6

Latest year

Peak year

2003

13 births

Estimated living

155

2026

Meaning

What does Delta mean?

The name Delta is derived from the Greek letter of the same name, which is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. The word "delta" itself comes from the Phoenician letter "dalt," which was used to represent the "d" sound. In ancient Greek, the letter delta represented the "d" sound as well.

The name Delta likely originated as a reference to the triangular shape of the Nile River delta in Egypt, which was a significant geographical feature in ancient times. The delta of a river is the area where it spreads out into multiple branches before reaching the sea or another body of water. The triangular shape of the Nile delta resembles the Greek letter delta, hence the name.

While the name Delta is not commonly found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been used as a name throughout history, often as a nod to the geographical feature or as a reference to the Greek letter itself.

One of the earliest recorded instances of Delta as a given name is Delta Phi Upsilon, a women's fraternity founded at Calcutta University in India in 1909. The organization chose the name Delta as a reference to the Greek letter's symbolic meaning of "door to the light of knowledge."

Notable individuals with the first name Delta include:

1. Delta Enduring Fey (1952-2016), an American poet and performance artist. 2. Delta Haynie (1873-1951), an American actress and vaudeville performer. 3. Delta Hudson (1909-1986), an American jazz singer and actress. 4. Delta Hunt (1868-1922), an American author and educator. 5. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an African American sorority founded in 1913 at Howard University.

While the name Delta is not as common as some other names, it has a rich history rooted in ancient Greek language and geography, and has been used as a given name throughout various periods in history, often with a nod to its symbolic meaning or as a reference to the Greek letter itself.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Delta over time

The chart below shows babies named Delta registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2003 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Delta, the clearest high point is 2003. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 13 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Delta
0371013200320132024

Decades

Delta by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Delta was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #3721 31 5
2010s #3124 67 8
2000s #2633 58 7

Related

Names similar to Delta

FAQ

Delta: questions and answers

How popular is the name Delta in the UK right now?

In 2024, Delta was ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.

When was Delta most popular?

The peak year on record was 2003, with 13 babies registered as Delta in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Delta?

Derived from the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, a feminine name symbolizing change.

How many people are called Delta in the UK?

A total of 156 babies have been registered as Delta across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.