Dawn

Did you know?

A few things about Dawn you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Dawn

Dawn French

British actress, comedian and writer (born 1957)

Choose Dawn and your child shares a first name with Dawn French, a British actress, comedian and writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Dawn, like who?” Dawn French's Wikipedia article is available in 33 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Dawn French on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Frank Blackwell, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 18,904 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Dawn, 85 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Dawn would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryDawn first shows up in US birth records in 1888, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 137 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1971, when it ranked #14. Today it's #2,173, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowDawn was 2.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 7,564 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 18,904.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Dawn means “daybreak”. Our records link it to Anglo Saxon, English and Greek roots.

About the name Dawn

Dawn is a girl name of Anglo Saxon, English and Greek origin meaning “daybreak”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with D and ending in “-awn”. US birth records list Dawn for girls from 1888 to 2025, in 126 of those 138 years. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked #14 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,173, with 85 babies.

Origin:Anglo Saxon namesEnglish namesGreek names