Given name & surname
Daphne
“laurel”
Daphne is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “laurel.”
Original GreekΔάφνη
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “laurel.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
In Greek mythology, Daphne is associated with a nymph.
Daphne through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 44,189
- 7 boys · 44,182 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,740 babies
- 2025
- 1,740
- #178 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +73%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,740 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 178 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 73.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (191). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 33,602 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Daphne’s family of names
In English usage, Daphne has a diminutive in Daffy. Daphne has a related form in Daphney. In English usage, Daphne has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Dafne.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Daphne has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
6 related names in 8 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΔάφνηGreek
- DefneTurkish
- Dafniequivalent
- Daphnyequivalent
- Daphineequivalent
- Daphanieequivalent
- Dafinaequivalent
- Дафинаequivalent
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People named Daphne
- Daphne du MaurierBritish writer (1907–1989)
- Daphne Caruana GaliziaMaltese journalist and blogger (1964-2017)
- Daphne KollerIsraeli-American computer scientistborn 1968
- Daphne ZunigaAmerican actressborn 1962
- Daphne AkhurstAustralian tennis player (1903–1933)
- Daphne OramBritish composer and electronic musician (1925–2003)
- Daphne GroeneveldDutch modelborn 1994
- Daphne HasenjägerSouth African athletics competitor (born 1929)
- Daphne AshbrookAmerican actress (born 1963)
Characters named Daphne: Daphne Blake (fictional character on Scooby-Doo).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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