Literary Characters Names, English Names, Greek Names, Nicknames or Pet Names, Latin Names

English speaking countries

Delia is the feminine form of the Latin Delius, from the Greek place name Delos, a small Aegean island and the legendary birthplace of the divine twins Artemis and Apollo. In ancient times Delia was a cult title of Apollo and not used as a girl's first name. The Latin elegist Tibullus did write love poetry to a woman called Delia, but he named her precisely because of the connection with Apollo, god of poetry.

In Virgil's first century AD "Bucolics", Delia is a sweet and inviting shepherdess. Bob Dylan also wrote a song called "Delia", which is featured on his 1993 release "World Gone Wrong".

Delia is also the short form of several names including Adelia and Cordelia.