BabyNameScore

Delilah

duh·LY·luh · 3 syllables

Delilah is easy for English speakers to say and spell correctly on first read.

91/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

  1. Pronunciation & Spelling

    Effortless

    91/100

  2. Everyday Use

    Low risk

    95/100

  3. Growing Up

    Strong lifetime fit

    Works comfortably across child and adult settings.

    82/100

  4. International Use

    Broad international fit

    Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.

    85/100

ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

Delilah's biblical identity is inseparable from betrayal: her role in discovering and exposing the secret of Samson's God-given strength — his uncut Nazirite hair — led directly to his capture, blinding, and enslavement, and remains one of the Hebrew Bible's most dramatic stories of deception. Despite this fraught association, English-speaking Puritans adopted the name in the 17th century, and it has carried a bold, romantically complicated cultural charge ever since, reinforced by hit songs from Tom Jones to the Plain White T's.

  1. דְּלִילָה (Hebrew). "Delicate, weak, languishing," from Hebrew. Despite Delilah's negative role in the Samson narrative, the name gained acceptance among the Puritans in the 17th century and has continued in occasional English-language use since.
  2. Mythological and religious contextIn the Book of Judges (chapters 13-16), Delilah was the woman from the Valley of Sorek whom Samson, an Israelite judge of legendary Nazirite-derived strength, fell in love with; bribed by Philistine leaders with silver, she repeatedly pressed Samson to reveal the secret of his strength until he told her it lay in his uncut hair, a condition of his Nazirite vow. She had his hair cut while he slept, allowing the Philistines to capture, blind, and enslave him at a grain mill. In the story's climax, Samson's strength returned after prayer, and he pulled down the pillars of the Philistine temple of Dagon during a public spectacle, killing himself along with the assembled Philistines.
POPULARITY

Delilah over time

United States
#51RANK

Rank #51 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Recognizable without feeling automatic. Ranked #51 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

SAY IT

duh·LY·luh

STRESS ON THE SECOND SYLLABLE

PRACTICAL LIFE

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

Melodic and distinctive, though parents should be aware of the name's biblical reputation as a betrayer, which may be unfamiliar to a young child but eventually recognized by others.

INTO ADULTHOOD

Its dramatic biblical association with betrayal and seduction gives Delilah a bold, complicated register that reads as striking rather than conventionally 'sweet' in adult contexts.

Cultural Footprint

A biblical Hebrew name notable for being attached to one of scripture's most famous negative female figures, yet adopted into English-language use by the Puritans in the 17th century despite that association.

TRACEABLE ORIGIN
  1. Delilahbiblical figure, Samson's betrayer
  2. Delilah Rene Lukeradio personality
  3. "Delilah"Tom Jones song, 1968
  4. "Hey There Delilah"Plain White T's song, 2005

Community Impressions

Delilah's biblical story is one of scripture's most dramatic accounts of betrayal: discovering that Samson's God-given strength lay in his uncut hair, she had it cut while he slept, leading directly to his capture and blinding by the Philistines. Despite that fraught association, English-speaking Puritans adopted the name in the 17th century, and it carries a bold, romantically charged reputation today, reinforced by hit songs from Tom Jones's 'Delilah' to the Plain White T's 'Hey There Delilah.'

How this name is commonly received · not used in the score

More about Delilah

FORMALITY

Functions as a complete standalone name in both formal and informal contexts.

EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Delilah is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

English speakers will most likely pronounce it correctly on the first try. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK

See how it works with a surname.

Delilah