girl's name
Delores
duh-LOR-is
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 118,278
Delores means sorrows, and it is a Marian title rather than a wish — Our Lady of Sorrows, named for the seven griefs of the Virgin, which is why a name meaning pain was ever given.
- Delores is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1932, when 4,171 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 157,878 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1890.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Delores over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 54 |
| 1900s | 278 |
| 1910s | 2,375 |
| 1920s | 16,523 |
| 1930s | 37,792 |
| 1940s | 28,617 |
| 1950s | 19,419 |
| 1960s | 8,470 |
| 1970s | 2,423 |
| 1980s | 1,145 |
| 1990s | 612 |
| 2000s | 259 |
| 2010s | 182 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 102 |
What Delores means
Delores means sorrows, in the plural. It shortens a Spanish Marian title rather than describing the child, so the sorrow belongs to the Virgin and not to the bearer.
Where Delores comes from
Delores is a variant of Dolores, from the Spanish María de los Dolores — Mary of the Sorrows, a Marian devotion counting seven griefs of the Virgin from Simeon's prophecy to the burial. Spanish naming draws heavily on such titles, which is why names meaning sorrows, snows, pillar and remedies all exist as ordinary given names. The Latin dolor gives dolorous and the English condolence. The De- spelling is an American variant of the Spanish Dolores.
Delores in use
Delores peaked in the United States in 1932, when 4,171 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 5840th in the United States on 21 births, across 118,278 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1890.
How popular is Delores?
In 2025, Delores was given to 21 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Delores is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Delores
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Delores also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Delores over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Delores
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Delores in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Delores
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Delores — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Delores
What does the name Delores mean?
Sorrows — from the Marian title Mary of the Sorrows.
Why would anyone be named sorrows?
It is a devotional title, not a description. Spanish naming draws on Marian titles including snows, pillar and remedies.
Is Lola short for Delores?
Yes, through Dolores — a long-standing Spanish pet form.
How popular is Delores?
5840th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Delores a girl's or a boy's name?
Delores is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Delores?
Delores has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Delores?
Delores is usually shortened to Dee and Lola.
Is Delores a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Delores currently ranks #5,840 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.