| Daphne | Dorothea | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Laurel | gift of God |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DAF-nee | dor-ə-THEE-ə |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1886 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,740) | 1920 (1,110) |
| In 2025 | 1,740 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Daphne | Dorothea |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,562 | 464 |
| 2010s | 7,768 | 345 |
| 2000s | 5,126 | 210 |
| 1990s | 2,519 | 299 |
| 1980s | 2,699 | 478 |
| 1970s | 4,827 | 768 |
| 1960s | 6,933 | 2,326 |
| 1950s | 2,789 | 3,008 |
| 1940s | 1,321 | 3,111 |
| 1930s | 764 | 4,180 |
| 1920s | 1,057 | 8,518 |
| 1910s | 498 | 7,750 |
| 1900s | 162 | 1,810 |
| 1890s | 131 | 807 |
| 1880s | 26 | 347 |
From Greek 'daphne' (δάφνη) meaning 'laurel, bay tree'. In myth the nymph Daphne was transformed into a laurel to escape Apollo.
From Greek Dorothea, combining doron 'gift' + theos 'God' — 'gift of God'. It is the exact reversal of the elements in Theodora/Theodore.
Daphne is more popular than Dorothea today: about 1,740 US babies were given the name Daphne in 2025, compared with 0 named Dorothea.
Daphne means Laurel (greek origin), while Dorothea means gift of God (greek origin).
In US records, Daphne first appears in 1886 and Dorothea in 0, so Dorothea has the longer recorded history.