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Dawn

DAWN /dɔn/

At a glance

In short
Dawn is an English word-name that traces back to Old English dagung, “daybreak,” and carries the quietly optimistic image of first light pushing back the night.
U.S. rank 2025
#2,173 of girl names (outside the top 1,000)
Babies in 2025
85 (<0.01% of girls)
Trend
Steady #2,170 in 2020 #2,173 in 2025
Peak
#14 in 1971
First recorded
1888

Meaning of Dawn

Dawn is an English word-name that traces back to Old English dagung, “daybreak,” and carries the quietly optimistic image of first light pushing back the night. In the United States it drifted along the fringe until the late 1940s, then flashed into vogue during the 1960s and 70s—peaking at a brisk No. 14 in 1971—before settling into today’s more modest usage. The appeal rests on plainspoken poetry: Dawn suggests renewal without resorting to florid myth, yet still nods to classical imagery of Aurora and Eos. Its single-syllable sturdiness pairs easily with longer surnames, and the soft vowel lets it age gracefully from nursery to boardroom. Parents who choose Dawn now tend to favor its understated radiance over trendier celestial spins, proving that some horizons never lose their quiet glow—even if most of us would rather meet them after coffee.

How to pronounce Dawn

English

Popularity of Dawn in the U.S.

Dawn was the #2,173 girl name in the U.S. in 2025, with 85 babies. It peaked at #14 in 1971. It first appears in the records in 1888.

Bar and line chart: Dawn in the U.S., 1888–2025. Bars: girls given the name each year, most 15,681 in 1970 and 85 in 2025. Line: rank among girl names, peak #14 in 1971, #2,173 in 2025.
  • Girls named Dawn (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. girl names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1888–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1888⁠–⁠2025 126 rows
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
2025852,173▼ 321
20241081,852▲ 484
2023782,336▼ 375
20221001,961▲ 46
2021962,007▲ 163
2020832,170▼ 15
2019862,155▼ 187
20181001,968▼ 51
20171051,917▲ 330
2016852,247▼ 251
2015991,996▲ 75
2014942,071▲ 273
2013782,344▼ 229
2012902,115▼ 57
2011942,058▲ 78
2010922,136▼ 270
20091131,866▼ 1
20081141,865▼ 105
20071221,760▼ 133
20061301,627▼ 12
20051251,615▼ 263
20041571,352▼ 252
20032001,100▼ 23
20021971,077▲ 84
20011791,161▼ 251
2000240910▲ 4
1999231914▼ 109
1998264805▼ 125
1997318680▲ 115
1996260795▼ 127
1995319668▼ 86
1994391582▼ 84
1993497498▼ 87
1992613411▼ 26
1991669385▼ 25
1990740360▼ 54
1989857306▼ 58
19881,061248▼ 17
19871,154231▼ 47
19861,452184▼ 19
19851,730165▼ 23
19842,105142▼ 36
19832,641106▼ 11
19823,08895▼ 16
19813,83979▼ 12
19804,47967▼ 10
19794,72557▼ 5
19785,21752▼ 9
19776,09643▼ 8
19767,04835▼ 12
19758,74423▼ 1
19749,41722▼ 1
19739,89021▼ 1
197211,34020▼ 6
197114,28814▲ 2
197015,68116▲ 5
196913,76821–
196813,44121▲ 6
196713,16727▼ 3
196613,60324▲ 2
196513,34426▲ 7
196412,61333▲ 19
19638,41252▼ 2
19628,98450▼ 1
19619,14849▲ 8
19607,81357▼ 3
19597,89854▲ 30
19585,67484▲ 9
19575,15993▼ 1
19565,12892▲ 11
19554,216103▲ 21
19543,356124▲ 14
19532,640138▲ 28
19521,884166▲ 22
19511,533188▲ 3
19501,411191▲ 18
19491,285209▼ 1
19481,241208–
19471,269208▲ 15
19461,040223▲ 23
1945745246▲ 22
1944654268▼ 15
1943765253▲ 13
1942675266▲ 12
1941530278▲ 25
1940427303▼ 15
1939468288–
1938471288–
1937457288▼ 20
1936512268▲ 42
1935398310▲ 62
1934288372▼ 13
1933307359▼ 3
1932319356▲ 23
1931291379▲ 74
1930221453▼ 12
1929223441▲ 61
1928188502–
1927194502▲ 26
1926175528▲ 111
1925130639▼ 6
1924141633▲ 9
1923131642▲ 69
1922104711▲ 42
192194753▲ 34
192084787▲ 95
191963882▲ 149
1918491,031▼ 86
191754945▼ 52
191657893▼ 37
191558856▲ 242
1914301,098▲ 572
1913131,670▼ 373
1912171,297▲ 495
191181,792▼ 19
191081,773back
190881,547▲ 274
190761,821▼ 94
190661,727▲ 204
190551,931▼ 54
190451,877back
189671,292back
189451,485back
189271,171back
189071,099back
188851,276new

Dawn by state

Dawn ranks #1,046 in Washington (2025).

Map: Dawn's 2025 rank among girl names in each U.S. state
Rank among girl names by state, 2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Rank by state 5 states
StateRankBabies
Washington1,0465
Georgia1,3586
Florida1,6857
Texas1,79012
California2,2768

Notable people named Dawn

  • Dawn French is a British comedian, actress, and writer best known for the sketch show French and Saunders with Jennifer Saunders and for starring in The Vicar of Dibley.
  • Dawn Staley is a basketball legend who won three Olympic gold medals as a player, coached Team USA to gold in 2021, and leads the South Carolina Gamecocks women's team.
  • Dawn Brancheau was a celebrated SeaWorld Orlando trainer who spent fifteen years working with orcas before she was tragically killed by the orca Tilikum.
  • Dawn Butler is a British Labour politician who has represented Brent constituencies in Parliament across three different seats since 2005.
  • Dawn Marie Psaltis is a retired American wrestler, valet, and actress best known for her runs in Extreme Championship Wrestling and on WWE SmackDown as Dawn Marie.
More people named Dawn 7 more
  • Dawn Wells was an American actress best known for playing Mary Ann Summers on Gilligan's Island.
  • Dawn Approach is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who went unbeaten in his first season and later won the 2000 Guineas and the St James Palace Stakes.
  • Dawn Fraser is an Australian swimming legend who won Olympic gold in the 100 metre freestyle three times in a row and later served as a politician.
  • Dawn Steel was an American film executive who became one of the first women to lead a major Hollywood studio when she took charge of Columbia Pictures in 1987.
  • Dawn O'Porter is a British writer, director, and TV presenter.
  • Dawn Penn is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for her 1994 worldwide hit You Don't Love Me.
  • Dawn Olivieri is an American actress known for playing Lydia in Heroes and Monica Talbot in House of Lies.