Given name · also Turkish
Defne
“laurel”
Defne is a feminine given name from Ottoman Turkish, ultimately from Greek. It is used in Turkish.
Original GreekΔάφνη
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Defne comes from Ottoman Turkish, and ultimately from Greek.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Turkish usage, Defne developed from Δάφνη.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1993. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Defne through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 659
- 0 boys · 659 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 51 babies
- 2025
- 33
- #4,285 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −29%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 33 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,285 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 28.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 51 in 2017. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 445 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.
Defne’s family of names
In Turkish usage, Defne developed from the Greek form Δάφνη. In Turkish usage, Defne has a conventional equivalent in the English form Daphne.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Defne
- Defne Joy FosterTurkish newscaster (1975–2011)
- Defne SamyeliTurkish actor (born 1972)
- Defne TaçyıldızTurkish swimmer (born 2003)
- Defne KayalarTurkish actor and film producer (born 1975)
- Defne BaşyolcuTurkish volleyball player (born 2006)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Defne, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Demi
“a petite woman; half”
1% boys · 99% girls
Eirini
“peace”
>99% girls
Dafni
“laurel”
>99% girls
Thisbe
>99% girls
Nefeli
“cloud”
>99% girls
Nouri
Nouri is a surname from Persian.
25% boys · 75% girls
Anisia
“equal”
>99% girls
Macarena
“blessed, happy”
>99% girls