Demelza
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- de-MEL-za
- Origin
- Cornish
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,675 for girls
Demelza is a girls' name of Cornish origin, meaning “fort of Maeldaf”. In 2025 it ranked 2,675th for girls in the UK (10 babies).
What does Demelza mean?
Cornish: from a Cornish place name
“fort of Maeldaf”
Popularised by Demelza, the heroine of Winston Graham's Poldark novels, which began in the 1940s.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Demelza a girl's or a boy's name?
Demelza is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 10 girls in the UK. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Demelza in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,675th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 10 about 1 in 28,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 28% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 10 girls in the UK were named Demelza, making it the 2,675th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,948th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 17 girls.
Half of all the girls named Demelza in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2020. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,603rd in England and Wales.
Demelza in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | #2,675 |
| 2024 | 7 | #3,381 |
| 2023 | 14 | #2,070 |
| 2022 | 17 | #1,794 |
| 2021 | 11 | #2,478 |
| 2020 | 15 | #1,948 |
| 2019 | 16 | #1,871 |
| 2018 | 12 | #2,320 |
| 2017 | 14 | #2,099 |
| 2016 | 14 | #2,111 |
| 2015 | 12 | #2,328 |
| 2014 | 5 | #4,187 |
| 2013 | 3 | #6,003 |
| 2012 | 3 | #6,108 |
| 2011 | 3 | #6,007 |
| 2010 | 5 | #4,220 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 4 | #4,742 |
| 2007 | 3 | #5,415 |
| 2006 | 11 | #2,119 |
| 2005 | 4 | #4,150 |
| 2004 | 6 | #2,957 |
| 2003 | 4 | #3,768 |
| 2002 | 13 | #1,553 |
| 2001 | 3 | #4,156 |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,907 |
| 1999 | 7 | #2,295 |
| 1998 | 4 | #3,310 |
| 1997 | 6 | #2,552 |
| 1996 | 7 | #2,201 |
Names like Demelza
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Athena, Aurora, Elena, Alora, Aria, Vienna, Arabella, Amara, Nora, Nova, Rosa, Diana
More Cornish names
Elowyn, Lowen, Elowen, Jennifer, Jenna, Denzel, Merryn, Lowenna, Sennen, Elowynn, Morwenna, Jennah, Senara, Merrin, Jena, Zennor
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Demelza: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/demelza, updated 20 October 2026.