Explore the Family Name Delaware
The meaning of Delaware
English: 1. (of Norman origin): variant of Warr 1, with fused Old French preposition de and definite article la ‘from the’. 2. possibly also a habitational name from a farm called Delaware in Brasted (Kent), said to be named with Old French de la ‘from the’ + Middle English ware ‘weir’ though this seems unlikely. The surname Delaware is virtually non-existing in Britain. History: Thomas West (1577–1618), known as Lord Delaware (3rd and 12th Baron De La Warr), was appointed governor of Jamestown Colony in 1610, though he spent little time in the colony. Delaware Bay and Delaware River were named for him. He was a member of a powerful Norman family. In 1428 the title passed to Reginald West, a son of Thomas West and Joan de la Warre.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Delaware in the United States?
The surname Delaware has seen a slight increase in popularity from the year 2000 to 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, Delaware ranked as the 48,293rd most popular surname, while in 2010 it moved up to the 46,811th position, indicating a change of roughly 3.07%. The count of people with this surname also increased from 411 in 2000 to 454 in 2010, an increase of about 10.46%. However, the proportion of people with this last name per 100,000 people remained steady at 0.15.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #48,293 | #46,811 | 3.07% |
| Count | 411 | 454 | 10.46% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Delaware
Looking at the ethnicity breakdown of this surname from the Decennial U.S. Census, majority of the individuals identified as White, though this percentage decreased slightly from 56.20% in 2000 to 53.52% in 2010. The second largest ethnic group was Black, making up 25.06% in 2000 and decreasing slightly to 24.01% in 2010. There was a notable increase in the Hispanic representation from 5.60% in 2000 to 7.27% in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage of American Indians and Alaskan Natives slightly increased from 10.95% to 11.23%. No individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or of two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 56.2% | 53.52% | -4.77% |
| Black | 25.06% | 24.01% | -4.19% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 10.95% | 11.23% | 2.56% |
| Hispanic | 5.6% | 7.27% | 29.82% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |