Daphne

How to say it

/ˈdæf.ni/

What it means

Greek for the laurel tree. The nymph Daphne, pursued by Apollo, transformed into a laurel tree to escape him; the laurel wreath became the symbol of Apollo and of poetic and athletic victory.

Daphne is the Greek word for the laurel tree. In Greek mythology Daphne was a river nymph; Apollo pursued her and she transformed into a laurel tree at the moment of his grasp (the myth is one of the central scenes in Ovid's Metamorphoses, and Bernini's marble sculpture captures it). The laurel wreath became Apollo's symbol and the prize for poetic and athletic victory — laureates take their name from this. As an English given name Daphne picked up in the late 19th century and was steady through the mid-20th. Frasier (Daphne Moon, 1993-2004) and Bridgerton (Daphne Bridgerton, 2020) gave it modern visibility. It entered the US top 300 in 2014.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Daphne Bridgerton (the eldest sister in season 1 of Bridgerton) is the dominant current anchor; Scooby-Doo's Daphne Blake covers the older generation.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Daphne (Greek myth) River nymph who transformed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo
• Daphne Bridgerton Phoebe Dynevor's character in Bridgerton season 1 (2020)
• Daphne du Maurier English novelist, Rebecca and The Birds

Spelling variants

• Dafne
• Daphné

Names with the same feeling

• Phoebe Bright, shining
• Athena Athenian goddess
• Iris Rainbow
• Luna Moon
• Stella Star

See Daphne from another angle