Daphne is a feminine given name of Greek origin meaning laurel. It originates from Greek mythology, where Daphne (Greek: Δάφνη) was a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. The name came into popular use in the Anglosphere in the late 1800s along with other flower, tree, and plant names that were in vogue at the time.[1] In the United States, the name was in use for enslaved African-born women named by enslavers who used names from the Ancient Greek and Roman classics for the enslaved population in order to display their education to their contemporaries. United States census records from the 1800s show a majority of the women bearing the name in the pre-Civil War era there were Black. The name was also in rare use in the United Kingdom in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, where a working class mother and daughter in Scotland were both named Daphne. The name became fashionable for daughters born to aristocratic families in Britain in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The name increased in use in the Anglosphere after author Daphne du Maurier rose to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s. Usage also increased after the name was used for characters in novels or television productions such as the popular 1960s American television series Surfside 6 in which Diane McBain played socialite Daphne Dutton, who had her own yacht called the Daffy II. After the show first aired, the name Daphne tripled in use for newborn American girls between 1960 and 1962. In recent years, the name has increased in usage due to the aristocratic character Daphne Bridgerton on the 2020s Netflix streaming television series Bridgerton.[2] [3]
 | |
| Gender | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Greek |
| Meaning | Laurel |
Usage
Daphne has been among the one thousand most used names for girls in the United States most years since 1889. [4] It has also been well-used in recent years in the United Kingdom, Quebec, Canada, France, and the Netherlands. [5]
Notable persons
- Daphne (born 1989), Cameroonian singer
- Daphné, French singer
- Daphne Arden (born 1941)
- Daphne Ashbrook (born 1963), American actress
- Daphne Barak-Erez (born 1965), Israeli law professor
- Daphne Bavelier
- Daphne Berdahl (1964–2007)
- Dafni Bokota (born 1960), Greek singer and TV presenter
- Daphne Brooker (1927–2012), British model, costume designer, and fashion professor
- Daphne Brooks (born 1968)
- Daphne Brown (1948–2011)
- Daphne Campbell (born 1957)
- Daphne Caruana Galizia (1964–2017), Maltese journalist and blogger
- Daphne Ceeney (1934–2016)
- Daphné Collignon (born 1977), French comic book author
- Daphne Courtney (born 1917)
- Dafna Dekel (born 1966), Israeli singer, actress and television personality
- Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), English writer
- Daphne Gail Fautin
- Daphne Fielding (1904–1997), English socialite and writer
- Daphne Fitzpatrick (born 1964)
- Daphne Foskett (1911–1998), English art connoisseur and art writer
- Daphne Fowler (born 1939), English game show champion
- Daphne Gautschi (born 2000), Swiss handball player
- Daphne Gottlieb (born 1968)
- Daphne Guinness (born 1967), Irish artist and socialite
- Daphne Lorraine Gum (1916–2017)
- Daphne Haldin (1899–1973)
- Daphne Hampson (1944–2021), British theologian
- Daphne Hardy Henrion (1917–2003)
- Daphne Hasenjäger (born 1929)
- Daphne Heard (1904–1983)
- Daphne Iking (born 1978)
- Daphne Jackson (1938–1991)
- Daphne Jennings (born 1939)
- Daphne Jongejans (born 1965)
- Daphne Jordan, American politician
- Daphne Khoo (born 1987)
- Daphni Leef (born 1986), Israeli social activist
- Daphne Matziaraki, Greek director, writer and producer
- Daphne Mayo (1895–1982)
- Daphne Alloway McVicker (1895–1979), American writer
- Daphne Merkin (born 1954), American writer
- Daphne Odjig (1919–2016)
- Daphne Olivier (1889–1950)
- Daphne Park (1921–2010), British diplomat and spy
- Daphne Patai (born 1943), American educator
- Daphne Pearson (1911–2000)
- Daphne Phelps (1911–2005)
- Daphne Pochin Mould (1920–2014)
- Daphne Pollard (1892–1978)
- Daphne Reynolds (1918–2002), English painter and printmaker
- Daphne Robinson (1932–2008)
- Daphne Rubin-Vega (born 1969), American actress
- Daphne Sheldrick, DBE (1934 – 2018), founder of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
- Daphne Spain
- Daphne Todd (born 1947)
- Daphne Touw (born 1970)
- Daphne Trimble (born 1953)
- Daphne Wayans (born 1971)
- Daphne Willis (born 1987)
- Daphne Woodward, French-English translator
- Daphne Zuniga (born 1962), American actress
Fictional characters
- Daphne Blake, a character in the television cartoon series Scooby-Doo
- Daphne Sullivan, a character in The White Lotus
- Daphne Broon, a character in the Scottish cartoon strip The Broons
- Daphne Clarke, from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
- Daphne Greengrass, a character in the Harry Potter series
- Daphne Hatzilakos, a character in the Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation
- Daphne Millbrook, a character in the television series Heroes
- Daphne Moon, a character in the television show Frasier
- Daphne Millicent Turner, the Malory Towers books
- Princess Daphne (character), a character in the video game Dragon's Lair
- Princess Daphne the nymph, a character in the Italian cartoon series Winx Club
- Daphne Grimm, a character from The Sisters Grimm book series
- Daphne Vasquez, a character in the television show Switched at Birth
- Daphne Reynolds, main character from the film What a Girl Wants
- The Groovy Girls doll line, by Manhattan Toy, features a doll named Daphne
- Daphne Basset, Duchess of Hastings, (née Bridgerton). A character from the Netflix series Bridgerton, based on the novels of the same name by Julia Quinn.
- Daphne Minton, a character from the web series and series 3 doll line of Rainbow High.
See also
Notes
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