Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Daphne as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Daphne

♡Add to my Name List

The baby name Daphne is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdæfni/ (DAF-nee).

Daphne is Greek in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: /ˈdæfni/ (DAF-nee)

What is the meaning of the name Daphne ?

The baby name Daphne is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdæfni/ (DAF-nee).

Daphne is Greek in Origin.

Daphne derives from the Ancient Greek Δάφνη (Dáphnē), meaning “laurel” or “bay tree.” In myth, the nymph Daphne escapes Apollo by being transformed into a laurel, which then becomes the emblem of victory, poetic inspiration, and academic honor; this symbolism colors the name’s associations. The plant name Daphne, used for fragrant shrubs, shares the same root.

Used as a given name in the Hellenistic world and reintroduced to Western Europe through Renaissance and pastoral literature, Daphne entered regular English use by the 17th–18th centuries. It has seen steady, cultured revival in the 20th century, aided by novelist Daphne du Maurier and later pop-culture figures. International variants include Daphné (French), Dafne (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese), and Dafni/Dáfni (modern Greek). Related forms and diminutives appear as Daph, Daff, and Daffy, while masculine cognates are rare. Overall meaning centers on “laurel,” connoting triumph and enduring honor.

Daphne has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Daphne

Daphne Zuniga Actor · Born 1962 · United States Daphne Zuniga is an American actress best known for films like The Sure Thing and Modern Girls, and for later TV roles such as Melrose Place. She made her film debut in The Dorm That Dripped Blood and also starred in The Initiation and The Fly II. Daphne Ashbrook Actor · Born 1963 · United States Daphne Ashbrook is an American actress best known for playing Grace Holloway in Doctor Who: The Movie. She’s also known for roles like Melora Pazlar in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Jackie Kowalski in Hollywood Heights, and Dawn Atwood in The OC. Daphne Guinness Actor · Born 1967 · Ireland Daphne Guinness is best known as an English fashion designer and style icon. She is also a socialite, actress, film producer, and musician.

Daphne – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
BW 0 #18 2 960
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
NA 0 #32 2 2,537
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
HT Boys 0 #34 1 903
MT 0 #41 3 1,767
MO 0 #45 8 2,706
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
CN 0 #79 8 3,857
TW 0 #80 21 4,523
PH 0 #86 11 5,607
JM 0 #90 4 3,714
CY Girls 0 #100 22 3,755
ID Girls 0 #101 2 3,319
QA 0 #103 4 7,011
GR 0 #104 31 3,911
NL Girls 0 #107 3,746 5,933
BN Girls 0 #109 6 5,459
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
MT Girls 0 #117 35 3,773
OM 0 #118 4 6,215
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
BW Girls 0 #123 26 4,216
Switzerland Girls 2024 #132 4 1,786
PA 0 #135 4 3,797
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
NL 0 #138 318 2,481
SG 0 #140 136 11,010
Canada Girls 2024 #144 153 2,795
GR Girls 0 #149 96 6,293
NA Girls 0 #153 72 7,146
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
PR Girls 0 #161 7 3,171
CR 0 #164 2 5,526
TW Girls 0 #165 116 8,139
Sweden Girls 2022 #171 9 1,568
United States Girls 2024 #177 1,564 8,487
SG Girls 0 #182 632 18,916
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
AE 0 #184 4 10,220
Belgium Girls 2003 #185 31 407
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
LU Girls 0 #186 5 4,850
JM Girls 0 #198 62 7,507
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
PS 0 #222 5 5,692
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
MY 0 #225 110 12,352
MO Girls 0 #231 21 7,056
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
IL 0 #262 13 6,291
NG 0 #271 2 5,926
HK 0 #274 75 8,483
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
CN Girls 0 #295 55 8,829
PE 0 #298 13 6,350
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
DK Girls 0 #326 4 7,429
GH Girls 0 #330 8 6,973
PH Girls 0 #336 55 13,098
GT 0 #337 2 5,948
QA Girls 0 #337 7 15,378
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
MU Girls 0 #340 12 8,539
CZ Girls 0 #347 5 5,378
HK Girls 0 #353 302 16,104
BR 0 #357 4 5,969
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
ZA 0 #368 80 14,421
OM Girls 0 #381 16 15,987
CL 0 #384 28 6,867
ZA Girls 0 #393 1,439 25,928
PA Girls 0 #394 88 9,861
MX 0 #397 17 8,339
BO 0 #403 6 6,868
France Girls 2019 #405 7 3,279
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
Austria Girls 0 #409 12 1,885
Germany 0 #427 11 2,542
Spain 0 #441 12 2,326
MY Girls 0 #452 676 24,821
PT Girls 0 #463 9 7,952
GT Girls 0 #477 29 7,500
PS Girls 0 #489 35 10,981
KW Girls 0 #498 18 19,177
UY Girls 0 #498 13 6,731
CM Girls 0 #508 33 11,671
CO 0 #508 3 7,768
CR Girls 0 #517 16 11,342
RU Girls 0 #521 3 11,913
AE Girls 0 #526 28 20,968
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
IR Girls 0 #539 7 8,334
HK Boys 0 #556 2 12,905
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
IL Girls 0 #562 56 11,648
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
BH 0 #581 7 17,937
BO Girls 0 #584 28 9,488
CL Girls 0 #615 243 14,098
AR Girls 0 #627 4 8,289
IN Girls 0 #649 6 13,121
IT 0 #673 42 4,183
CL Boys 0 #699 2 13,390
Finland Girls 2026 #728 11 3,895
PE Girls 0 #728 220 14,861
NG Girls 0 #731 56 15,093
SG Boys 0 #738 2 17,960
Germany Girls 0 #762 77 4,949
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
TN 0 #863 3 13,765
SA Girls 0 #899 37 25,931
BR Girls 0 #900 42 12,708
Spain Girls 0 #904 80 5,561
MX Girls 0 #920 269 17,781
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
EG Girls 0 #1,005 5 14,742
MX Boys 0 #1,029 5 16,355
CO Girls 0 #1,047 32 16,140
IT Girls 0 #1,093 362 9,415
ZA Boys 0 #1,161 18 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,178 5 25,439
TR 0 #1,186 26 19,440
MA 0 #1,197 3 20,986
DZ 0 #1,233 2 20,130
SA Boys 0 #1,691 1 28,008

Daphne is popular in 75 countries — most recent births per country:

Canada
Ireland
United States
Sweden
Flanders, Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Daphne

Daphne is predominantly a girl's name.
Daphne is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈdæfni/ (DAF-nee).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Dafne, Daphna, Dafni, Daphné, Defne and Daffney.
Across languages, Daphne has these equivalents: Daphné (French), Dafne (Spanish, Italian), Defne (Turkish), Daphna (Hebrew), Laura (Latin), and 1 more.
Yes, very popular — Daphne ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Daphne ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Daphne's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2017 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 3 notable people named Daphne are in our database, including Daphne Zuniga (Actor), Daphne Ashbrook (Actor), Daphne Guinness (Actor).