Daphne
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
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.
Daphne is also given to boys.
Pronounced DAF-nee.
As of October 2026, Daphne ranked #178 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #6.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #355 | 919 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #378 | 864 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #407 | 819 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #385 | 812 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #384 | 808 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #435 | 734 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #415 | 752 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #289 | 1,102 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #279 | 1,132 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #241 | 1,265 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #192 | 1,564 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #178 | 1,740 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Daphne.
Daphne on lists
Famous Daphnes
- Daphne Eurydice ZunigaGirl
American actress
- Daphne Miriam MerkinGirl
American novelist and critic
- Daphne du MaurierGirl
Lady Browning, English novelist and playwright
- Daphne Jessie AkhurstGirl
Australian tennis player
- Daphne BloomerGirl
American actress
- Daphne RubinGirl
Vega, Panamanian,American dancer, singer, and actress
- Daphne Diana Joan Susanna GuinnessGirl
British,Irish artist, model, and heiress
- Daphne GroeneveldGirl
Dutch model
- Daphne FowlerGirl
English TV quiz show champion
- DaphnéGirl
French singer
- Daphne Winifred Louise FieldingGirl
English author and socialite
- Daphne Margaret Sybil Désirée ParkGirl
Baroness Park of Monmouth, English diplomat and spy
- Daphne Ivory WayansGirl
daughter of actor Keenen Ivory Wayans
- Daphne van den Hoogenband (b. 2007)Girl
daughter of swimmers Pieter van den Hoogenband and Minouche Smit
- Daphne Marie CorbozGirl
American soccer player
Daphne in pop culture
- Princess DaphneGirl
character from "Dragon's Lair"
- Daphne BlakeGirl
character on animated series "Scooby Doo"
- Daphne LeanderGirl
character in "The Internment Chronicles" by Lauren DeStefano
- Daphne GrimmGirl
character in Michael Buckley's "The Sisters Grimm" series
- Daphne Paloma VasquezGirl
character on TV's "Switched at Birth"
- Daphne AllenGirl
minor character on Supernatural
- Daphne MoonGirl
character on TV's "Frasier"
- Daphne GreengrassGirl
character in the Harry Potter series
- Daphne ReynoldsGirl
character in movie "What a Girl Wants"
- Daphne HatzilakosGirl
teacher on TV's "Degrassi: The Next Generation"
- Daphne GloverGirl
main character on TV's "Underemployed"
- Daphne Harridge CollinsGirl
character on TV's "Dark Shadows"
- Daphne de LuceGirl
character in Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series
- Crown Princess DaphneGirl
character on animated series "Winx Club"
- Daphne Rose ClarkeGirl
character on Australian soap "Neighbours"
- Daphne BroonGirl
character in Scottish comic strip "The Broons"
- Daphne MillbrookGirl
character on TV's "Heroes"
- Daphne Millicent TurnerGirl
character in the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton
- Princess DaphneGirl
character in video game "Dragon's Lair"
- "Daphne DescendsGirl
" song by The Smashing Pumpkins
- Daphne ChandersGirl
American "Queer as Folk" series character
- Daphne ConradGirl
character from TV's "Nashville"
- Daphne LaceyGirl
character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton, who has a twin sister called Dora
- Daphne YewbeamGirl
character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
- Daphne DiazGirl
character on TV's "Stuck in the Middle"
- DaphneGirl
the only named tunnel toad in "Toad Patrol"
- Daphne de VallerandGirl
character in Echoes by Danielle Steel
- Daphne KlugerGirl
Anne Hathaway's character in "Ocean's Eight"
- Daphne SullivanGirl
character in season two of "The White Lotus"
- Daphne Basset (née Bridgerton)Girl
character from "Bridgerton"