Delilah vs Penelope
Delilah and Penelopecompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Delilah was ranked #32 and Penelope #33 among girls in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Delilah was ranked #54 and Penelope #41 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Delilah was ranked #63 and Penelope #45 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Delilah was ranked #131 and Penelope #81 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Delilah was ranked #134 and Penelope #144 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Delilah was ranked #160 and Penelope #148 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Delilah and Penelope over time
Delilah and Penelope appear together in 3 published lists, across 51 years of shared records. Penelope held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Delilah in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Penelope reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Delilah in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Delilah and Penelope were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #32 and #33.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Delilah #32 in 2023, Penelope #32 in 2022.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Delilah held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Penelope in 25.
Highest recorded here: Delilah #32 in 2023, Penelope #32 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Delilah #32, Penelope #33.
Republic of Ireland · Girls12 shared years, 2012–2025
Delilah held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Penelope in 12.
Highest recorded here: Delilah #160 in 2025, Penelope #119 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Delilah #160, Penelope #148.
Northern Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 2014–2024
Delilah held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Penelope in 8.
Highest recorded here: Delilah #134 in 2024, Penelope #99 in 2023.
The order changed in 2024: Delilah moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #159 and #99; by 2024 that had become #134 and #144.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Delilah #134, Penelope #144.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Delilah | Penelope |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The origin is disputed: one proposed origin ties it to a word for 'thread on the bobbin' (related to weaving and cloth); a second proposed origin derives it from a term for a duck or wild goose with a coloured neck. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /pəˈnɛləpi/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #32 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #33 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Penelope has a recorded origin (Greek); Delilah does not have one recorded yet.
- Delilah has 3 syllables, compared with 4 for Penelope.
- A meaning is recorded for Penelope; Delilah doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Delilah
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3126 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #32 among girls in England and Wales, in 2023 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #32 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Penelope
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #32 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #33 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls