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Demelza

Girl name · 4 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Demelza: 4 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 4 births in 1977.

With its roots in Cornwall, Demelza is a place name meaning "fort of Maeldaf," from the Cornish *din* (fort) and a personal name; some trace it to *dons* "fort" and *mel* "lightning." The name shot to prominence through Winston Graham's Poldark novels, where Demelza Poldark is the spirited, red-haired heroine who rises from a mining family to gentry, later immortalised in hit TV adaptations. The hamlet of Demelza in Cornwall lends the name its earthy, rugged charm. Though Cornish rather than Scottish, Demelza has been used in Scotland since the 1970s, likely thanks to the Poldark phenomenon, making it a romantic, literary choice with a distinctly Celtic flavour.