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This is such a surname to me. I can't understand how anyone can actually name their daughter this, or any other surname for that matter. It doesn't even fit on a boy. It's just so...surnamey! LOL.

It just makes me think of

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"Bernard ... Geoffrey ... St John ... Delaney"

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in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Delaney is something of a GP for me though I'd never use it. I love how warm and friendly it is. It just exudes happiness for me, lol.

I'm not normally a fan of surnames as first names but there's something about Delaney I've always liked. I like it more as a surname but I can see the appeal as a first name.

I've never liked that the -ey ending makes it feel nickname-y to me. I knew a (boy) Delayne and I like the sound of that better. Also Delano on a boy, but now I'm just getting off topic.

I think of it as Lindsey's younger cousin: a surname turned into a first name, but a weak, whiny, spineless one.

I think Laney is a predictable nn for Elaine and some pronunciations of Helena. Which is unfortunate for Delaney, because instead of being an ordinary ln, it becomes part of the Deshawn fashion - stick a De, or indeed a La, on to any random name, and lo! You've trendied it up.

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There was a truly awful "joke" some years ago featuring a none-too-bright guy whose sister has b/g twins. Nobody can agree on names, so their uncle is sent off to register them. He comes back and announces that the little girl is now Denise. The family are delighted ... until he says that, of course, the boy is Denephew. You'll understand that the memory of this would tend to warp anyone's judgement ... perhaps Delaney is in some way different. But it doesn't seem good to me.

I don't like it because of associations. It was the name of a mean, annoying, spoiled rich kid I knew in middle school. Same reason I don't like Hadley.

I came across it once as a last name. There was a Mike or Matt or Matthew or someone Delaney.. or maybe George. I don't remember.

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Anyway!
I think I like it. It's sounds pretty, in a merry-go-round kind of way, and I think if I heard it a lot I would grow to like it more :)
So long as no one shortened it to Dilly... I'd hate that. Lani would be cute. Dill would be okay.

Oh, I love it! Perhaps I wouldn't use it, it would be kind of ridiculous with our last name, but I do so like it.