Delaney

Delaney ~ from the adler grove ~ English

Like a top 40 song on the radio, Delaney keeps getting stuck in my head—but in a good way. It's got a lot of appeal right now because it's a surname and therefore unisex (though most often used for girls), and it's stylish but not snobby. Personally, I love the sound; and in case there's any confusion, it's pronounced deh-LAY-nee.

The English meaning, from the adler grove, is so lovely. But don't be surprised if you see another definition floating around the web. Delaney is sometimes cited as having Gaelic roots. In that case, it's said to come from the Irish surname Dubhshláine. Honestly that's a pretty big stretch for me; whereas the English surname came directly from the French words de l'aunaie—practically a carbon copy of the English spelling. Besides, I don't like the definition of Dubhshláine, which is defiant. I'm going to pretend I never saw it because the English origin is more commonly accepted. You may just choose to do the same.

• Delaney first showed up in U.S. rankings in the year 1998, so it's a relatively new name.
• Delaney is currently the #268 name for girls (2014 stats)
• Delaney is the name Martina McBride chose for her daugher, born in 1994
• A somewhat obscure actress, Delaney Driscoll is the only celeb I could find with this first name.