| Daphne | Dora | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Laurel | gift |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DAF-nee | DOR-ə |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1886 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,740) | 1921 (2,026) |
| In 2025 | 1,740 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Daphne | Dora |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,562 | 437 |
| 2010s | 7,768 | 919 |
| 2000s | 5,126 | 1,384 |
| 1990s | 2,519 | 1,734 |
| 1980s | 2,699 | 2,378 |
| 1970s | 4,827 | 3,941 |
| 1960s | 6,933 | 7,418 |
| 1950s | 2,789 | 9,285 |
| 1940s | 1,321 | 9,717 |
| 1930s | 764 | 12,387 |
| 1920s | 1,057 | 18,335 |
| 1910s | 498 | 14,012 |
| 1900s | 162 | 8,011 |
| 1890s | 131 | 8,684 |
| 1880s | 26 | 7,288 |
From Greek 'daphne' (δάφνη) meaning 'laurel, bay tree'. In myth the nymph Daphne was transformed into a laurel to escape Apollo.
Short form of Dorothea or Theodora, drawn from the Greek element doron 'gift'. The standalone name carries the 'gift' sense of its parent names.
Daphne is more popular than Dora today: about 1,740 US babies were given the name Daphne in 2025, compared with 0 named Dora.
Daphne means Laurel (greek origin), while Dora means gift (greek origin).
In US records, Daphne first appears in 1886 and Dora in 0, so Dora has the longer recorded history.