Daphne
Top 1000
About Daphne
In Greek mythology, Daphne was the nymph daughter of Peneus, a river god. Peneus saved Daphne from Apollo’s romantic obsessions by transforming her into a laurel tree. It is from this myth that the plant genus daphne, which contains the laurel species, gets its name.
Daphne's origins may be Greek, but it's seen by Americans as quintessentially British—as in the Daphne Moon character on Frasier and the heroine of the romantic drama Bridgerton. The shrub inspired the popularity of the name in England, where it became part of the British vogue for plant names at the end of the nineteenth century.
Though we don't see it becoming a Top 100 name in the US, Daphne is obviously finding more widespread acceptance—and for a distinctive, deeply-rooted, attractive girls' name, that's a positive thing. In fact, Daphne has been in the US Top 1000 for every year but two -- 1913 and 1938. And it's now at its highest point ever in the US and is also one of the most popular girls' names on Nameberry.
Its most famous bearer is Daphne du Maurier, author of such suspense novels as Rebecca. Fictional Daphnes have appeared in Some Like It Hot (Jack Lemmon as a woman), The Jewel in the Crown, Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter, and Heroes.
As of October 2026, Daphne ranked #178 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #15.
Editor's take: The name Daphne is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "laurel tree, bay tree".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #355 | 919 | 514.5 |
| 2015 | #378 | 864 | 484 |
| 2016 | #407 | 819 | 462.2 |
| 2017 | #385 | 812 | 470.3 |
| 2018 | #384 | 808 | 475 |
| 2019 | #435 | 734 | 437.3 |
| 2020 | #415 | 752 | 465.2 |
| 2021 | #289 | 1,102 | 671.6 |
| 2022 | #279 | 1,132 | 690.2 |
| 2023 | #241 | 1,265 | 788.4 |
| 2024 | #192 | 1,564 | 965.3 |
| 2025 | #178 | 1,740 | 1,082.6 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Daphne.
- Phoebe
- Flora
- Beatrix
- Cordelia
- Florence
- Evangeline
- Astrid
- Madaleine
- Imogen
- Genevieve
- Delilah
- Sisi
- Esther
- Theodora
- Ophelia
- Dahlia
- Clementine
- Rosalie
- Sylvie
- Estelle
Daphne on lists
Famous Daphnes
- Daphne Eurydice Zuniga
American actress
- Daphne Miriam Merkin
American novelist and critic
- Daphne du Maurier
Lady Browning, English novelist and playwright
- Daphne Jessie Akhurst
Australian tennis player
- Daphne Bloomer
American actress
- Daphne Rubin
Vega, Panamanian,American dancer, singer, and actress
- Daphne Diana Joan Susanna Guinness
British,Irish artist, model, and heiress
- Daphne Groeneveld
Dutch model
- Daphne Fowler
English TV quiz show champion
- Daphné
French singer
- Daphne Winifred Louise Fielding
English author and socialite
- Daphne Margaret Sybil Désirée Park
Baroness Park of Monmouth, English diplomat and spy
- Daphne Ivory Wayans
daughter of actor Keenen Ivory Wayans
- Daphne van den Hoogenband (b. 2007)
daughter of swimmers Pieter van den Hoogenband and Minouche Smit
- Daphne Marie Corboz
American soccer player
Daphne in pop culture
- Princess Daphne
character from "Dragon's Lair"
- Daphne Blake
character on animated series "Scooby Doo"
- Daphne Leander
character in "The Internment Chronicles" by Lauren DeStefano
- Daphne Grimm
character in Michael Buckley's "The Sisters Grimm" series
- Daphne Paloma Vasquez
character on TV's "Switched at Birth"
- Daphne Allen
minor character on Supernatural
- Daphne Moon
character on TV's "Frasier"
- Daphne Greengrass
character in the Harry Potter series
- Daphne Reynolds
character in movie "What a Girl Wants"
- Daphne Hatzilakos
teacher on TV's "Degrassi: The Next Generation"
- Daphne Glover
main character on TV's "Underemployed"
- Daphne Harridge Collins
character on TV's "Dark Shadows"
- Daphne de Luce
character in Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series
- Crown Princess Daphne
character on animated series "Winx Club"
- Daphne Rose Clarke
character on Australian soap "Neighbours"
- Daphne Broon
character in Scottish comic strip "The Broons"
- Daphne Millbrook
character on TV's "Heroes"
- Daphne Millicent Turner
character in the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton
- Princess Daphne
character in video game "Dragon's Lair"
- "Daphne Descends
" song by The Smashing Pumpkins
- Daphne Chanders
American "Queer as Folk" series character
- Daphne Conrad
character from TV's "Nashville"
- Daphne Lacey
character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton, who has a twin sister called Dora
- Daphne Yewbeam
character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
- Daphne Diaz
character on TV's "Stuck in the Middle"
- Daphne
the only named tunnel toad in "Toad Patrol"
- Daphne de Vallerand
character in Echoes by Danielle Steel
- Daphne Kluger
Anne Hathaway's character in "Ocean's Eight"
- Daphne Sullivan
character in season two of "The White Lotus"
- Daphne Basset (née Bridgerton)
character from "Bridgerton"
Variations & nicknames
- DafneMexico