Daphne
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- DAF-nee
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #134 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #178 for girls
Vintage revival
Daphne is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “laurel”. In 2025 it ranked 134th for girls in the UK (417 babies) and 178th for girls in the US (1,740 babies).
What does Daphne mean?
Greek: from Greek daphne
“laurel”
In Greek myth the nymph Daphne was turned into a laurel tree to escape the god Apollo.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Daphne a girl's or a boy's name?
Daphne is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 417 girls in the UK and 1,740 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Daphne in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #134among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 417about 1 in 670 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 178% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 2.1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 417 girls in the UK were named Daphne, making it the 134th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 337th.
It has been given to more girls each year for the last 6 years. 2025 had the most girls named Daphne of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Daphne in the UK since 1996 were born between 2017 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among girls in 2025, it was 125th in England and Wales, 172nd in Scotland and 397th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1924 (#72), 1934 (#54) and 1944 (#94).
Daphne in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 417 | #134 |
| 2024 | 344 | #164 |
| 2023 | 305 | #186 |
| 2022 | 275 | #201 |
| 2021 | 218 | #249 |
| 2020 | 146 | #337 |
| 2019 | 116 | #409 |
| 2018 | 121 | #407 |
| 2017 | 97 | #500 |
| 2016 | 85 | #548 |
| 2015 | 88 | #534 |
| 2014 | 66 | #665 |
| 2013 | 54 | #779 |
| 2012 | 46 | #885 |
| 2011 | 42 | #923 |
| 2010 | 42 | #900 |
| 2009 | 31 | #1,093 |
| 2008 | 19 | #1,548 |
| 2007 | 18 | #1,544 |
| 2006 | 14 | #1,764 |
| 2005 | 16 | #1,521 |
| 2004 | 20 | #1,238 |
| 2003 | 10 | #1,954 |
| 2002 | 13 | #1,553 |
| 2001 | 8 | #2,150 |
| 2000 | 10 | #1,792 |
| 1999 | 12 | #1,576 |
| 1998 | 11 | #1,694 |
| 1997 | 7 | #2,281 |
| 1996 | 4 | #3,289 |
How popular is Daphne in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #178among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 1,740about 1 in 920 girls
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 99% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.5%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 1,740 girls in the US were named Daphne, making it the 178th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 414th. It first appears in the records in 1886.
It has been given to more girls each year for the last 6 years. 2025 had the most girls named Daphne of any year since it first appeared, in 1886.
Half of all the girls named Daphne in the US since 1880 were born between 1965 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Daphne in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,740 | #178 |
| 2024 | 1,568 | #193 |
| 2023 | 1,266 | #241 |
| 2022 | 1,132 | #281 |
| 2021 | 1,103 | #288 |
| 2020 | 753 | #414 |
| 2019 | 734 | #435 |
| 2018 | 808 | #384 |
| 2017 | 812 | #385 |
| 2016 | 819 | #407 |
| 2015 | 864 | #378 |
| 2014 | 919 | #355 |
| 2013 | 777 | #396 |
| 2012 | 744 | #421 |
| 2011 | 673 | #451 |
| 2010 | 618 | #489 |
| 2009 | 649 | #477 |
| 2008 | 571 | #539 |
| 2007 | 512 | #584 |
| 2006 | 478 | #611 |
| 2005 | 520 | #554 |
| 2004 | 478 | #589 |
| 2003 | 460 | #594 |
| 2002 | 465 | #569 |
| 2001 | 597 | #466 |
| 2000 | 396 | #633 |
| 1999 | 324 | #695 |
| 1998 | 284 | #757 |
| 1997 | 244 | #843 |
| 1996 | 241 | #831 |
| 1995 | 225 | #862 |
| 1994 | 280 | #741 |
| 1993 | 210 | #912 |
| 1992 | 220 | #890 |
| 1991 | 223 | #881 |
| 1990 | 268 | #764 |
| 1989 | 222 | #840 |
| 1988 | 277 | #692 |
| 1987 | 238 | #754 |
| 1986 | 245 | #726 |
| 1985 | 276 | #657 |
| 1984 | 281 | #630 |
| 1983 | 305 | #585 |
| 1982 | 296 | #606 |
| 1981 | 273 | #646 |
| 1980 | 286 | #637 |
| 1979 | 300 | #601 |
| 1978 | 301 | #571 |
| 1977 | 347 | #528 |
| 1976 | 440 | #443 |
| 1975 | 383 | #479 |
| 1974 | 503 | #402 |
| 1973 | 536 | #382 |
| 1972 | 556 | #383 |
| 1971 | 778 | #335 |
| 1970 | 683 | #360 |
| 1969 | 641 | #360 |
| 1968 | 640 | #350 |
| 1967 | 605 | #364 |
| 1966 | 617 | #365 |
| 1965 | 641 | #356 |
| 1964 | 766 | #344 |
| 1963 | 927 | #306 |
| 1962 | 1,131 | #266 |
| 1961 | 670 | #371 |
| 1960 | 295 | #573 |
| 1959 | 318 | #545 |
| 1958 | 393 | #478 |
| 1957 | 314 | #540 |
| 1956 | 261 | #581 |
| 1955 | 250 | #576 |
| 1954 | 259 | #553 |
| 1953 | 257 | #539 |
| 1952 | 264 | #519 |
| 1951 | 221 | #577 |
| 1950 | 252 | #512 |
| 1949 | 205 | #578 |
| 1948 | 166 | #644 |
| 1947 | 179 | #627 |
| 1946 | 136 | #681 |
| 1945 | 104 | #731 |
| 1944 | 113 | #705 |
| 1943 | 103 | #762 |
| 1942 | 106 | #725 |
| 1941 | 111 | #669 |
| 1940 | 98 | #702 |
| 1939 | 56 | #939 |
| 1938 | 50 | #1,007 |
| 1937 | 94 | #704 |
| 1936 | 79 | #757 |
| 1935 | 71 | #805 |
| 1934 | 71 | #794 |
| 1933 | 85 | #703 |
| 1932 | 85 | #731 |
| 1931 | 76 | #768 |
| 1930 | 97 | #699 |
| 1929 | 91 | #731 |
| 1928 | 107 | #673 |
| 1927 | 99 | #723 |
| 1926 | 105 | #708 |
| 1925 | 120 | #677 |
| 1924 | 114 | #695 |
| 1923 | 107 | #705 |
| 1922 | 106 | #706 |
| 1921 | 104 | #717 |
| 1920 | 104 | #711 |
| 1919 | 82 | #778 |
| 1918 | 91 | #747 |
| 1917 | 68 | #830 |
| 1916 | 64 | #848 |
| 1915 | 65 | #811 |
| 1914 | 37 | #972 |
| 1913 | 28 | #1,020 |
| 1912 | 28 | #960 |
| 1911 | 18 | #1,031 |
| 1910 | 17 | #1,069 |
| 1909 | 25 | #813 |
| 1908 | 20 | #882 |
| 1907 | 14 | #1,037 |
| 1906 | 21 | #793 |
| 1905 | 10 | #1,237 |
| 1904 | 12 | #1,050 |
| 1903 | 14 | #931 |
| 1902 | 16 | #872 |
| 1901 | 13 | #918 |
| 1900 | 17 | #917 |
| 1899 | 12 | #935 |
| 1898 | 14 | #920 |
| 1897 | 18 | #735 |
| 1896 | 15 | #843 |
| 1895 | 12 | #932 |
| 1894 | 15 | #782 |
| 1893 | 10 | #955 |
| 1892 | 12 | #861 |
| 1891 | 8 | #1,006 |
| 1890 | 15 | #693 |
| 1889 | 9 | #902 |
| 1888 | 5 | #1,276 |
| 1887 | 6 | #1,036 |
| 1886 | 6 | #993 |
Nicknames for Daphne
- Daph
Names like Daphne
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Iris Penelope Thea Lara Athena Elena Edie Hope Margot Darcie Phoebe Heidi
Other spellings of Daphne
More Greek names
Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe Maisie Lainey Atlas
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Daphne: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/daphne, updated 20 October 2026.