BabyNameLens · Girl names · Boy names

Dawn

“Daybreak, first light” — Old English origin

Girl's name · #2174 in the US (2025) · Retro

Dawn's best rank, #14, came in 1971; it has stepped well back to #2174 today. Roughly 290,000 girls have been named Dawn since 1888.

Around the world: about 1 in 7,000 girls in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 13,000 girls in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 6 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Dawns

• Dawn Fraser — Australian swimmer and politician
• Dawn French — British actress, comedian and writer (born 1957)
• Dawn Wells — American actress (1938–2020)
• Dawn Harper-Nelson — American hurdler
• Dawn Staley — American basketball player and coach (born 1970)

In stories & tradition

• Dawn — Pokémon
• Dawn Summers — Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Dawn Swann — EastEnders

What Dawns become

Among 449 notable people named Dawn:

Entertainers appear 1.54× more often than among typical names — e.g. Dawn French, British actress, comedian and writer (born 1957).

Similar names: Wendy · Dana · Audra · Ashton · Darby · Ericka

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service