The Origin and Meaning of Delima Family Name.

Delima is different from dilemma. The two words are homophone- it has the same sounds but are spelled differently. This is the reason why people who were unfamiliar to the surname Delima were surprised to hear this surname, especially when they are more familiar to the English word dilemma which means a difficult situation with two equally undesirable solution

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Etymology of Delima Family Name

The origin of the Delima surname can be examine from different perspective since the word is probably an evolution from the popular surname de Lima or d'Lima which roots can be traced back in Portugal. It is a habitation name given for someone who came from Lima (the place of lime trees). Specifically, Ponte de Lima- the oldest village in Portugal. The surname is also used in Spain since Portugal and the former is situated in the same peninsula. In Spain, it means, "of Lima". Delima surname is also used for converts in India when the Portuguese occupied India.

The word Delima has a different meaning in Malay Peninsula. This Malay word was derived from the oldest language in the world- Sanskrit, in India. Delima means pomegranate in Sanskrit. Pomegranate in Malaysia and Indonesia is called delima. Pomegranate tree bears a fruit with seeds that looks like a red gem. Thus, Delima is also used as a female first name in Indonesia and Malaysia which has an equivalent name in English which means, Ruby or Jewel.

Delima means pomegranate in Sanskrit, Malaysia, and Indonesia

Delima is a popular surname in the Philippines. The origin of the family name is unknown since the country is geographically located near the Malay Peninsula and was colonized by Spain for 327 years. The origin of the Delima surname can be from the East or the West.

Origin of Delima Family in the Philippines

The Philippines was once part of the Majapahit and Sri Vijaya Empire which uses Sanskrit as language.  It can be assumed that this surname is the same as the Malay word delima for pomegranate with origin in Sanskrit. However, the Philippines is greatly influenced by Spanish culture since they took over the country for over 300 years. Plus, the Spanish Governor Claveria implemented a Spanish naming system for the inhabitants of the Philippines leading to the Hispanization of the native Filipino surnames.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Person A has Delima as a family name, while person B has de Lima. Are the two persons related?

2. What if Delima is actually an ancient Filipino name and it was not changed during Claveria's decree since it has an equivalent Spanish surname? Possible or not?

3. Is it possible that Filipino with surname Delima has a westerner ancestor?

I will leave this questions for you to answer. If you have opinion or knowledge about this matter, please express it below.

Delima in US

Delima surname appears in United States of America. According to the website mooseroots, the surname has been most prevalent in the Northeast of the United States, though the name is most common in Hawaii. Mooseroots has an ethnic breakdown of the Delima surname.

Caucasian: 48.23%

Hispanic: 15.05%

African-American: 3.75%

Native American: 0.34%

Asian: 15.46%

Mixed Race: 17.17%

Find Delima Groups on Facebook:

To connect with the Delima from the Philippines, join our Facebook group. The members are Delima from all over the Philippines. The group is called Delima Kinship since we accept anyone with Delima as a surname and those with Delima bloodline or related to Delima Family. Our motto is, "In Blood and In Name."