Dawn
Dawn was the 2174th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 85 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 1970 (15,681). Over the last ten years it has moved down 175 places. More babies were named Dawn in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning dawn (word name) · English, Old English
Say it DAWN /dɔn/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,174 girls, up 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 85girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 197015,681 babies
- Total since 1880
- 290,680babies recorded
What does the name Dawn mean?
Dawn is the English word for daybreak, used as a girls' name since the late 19th century, sometimes for a girl born at dawn, as Wiktionary notes. The word comes from Middle English dawning, related to Old English dagian 'to become day'. Dawn was very popular in the US in the 1960s and 1970s. Aurora is the Latin equivalent.
dagian (Old English, “to become day”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Aurora, Eos.
See also: English names, names that mean sky, star, moon or sun.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dawn', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'dawn' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Dawn popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,039 since 1923.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,174 | 85 |
| 2020 | #2,176 | 83 |
| 2010 | #2,138 | 92 |
| 2000 | #910 | 240 |
| 1990 | #361 | 740 |
| 1980 | #67 | 4,479 |
| 1970 | #16 | 15,681 |
| 1960 | #57 | 7,813 |
| 1950 | #191 | 1,411 |
| 1940 | #303 | 427 |
| 1930 | #453 | 221 |
| 1920 | #787 | 84 |
| 1910 | #1,808 | 8 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #1,120 | 7 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Dawn, counting every spelling?
Dawn has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Dawn?
85 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dawn (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Dawn born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 99 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dawn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dawn?
About 253,500 people born in the US named Dawn are alive today, with a median age of 57; half are between 52 and 63. That makes Dawn a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dawn by state
How common Dawn was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 40 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dawn: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dawn, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dawn · Sibling names for Dawn
Questions about the name Dawn
What does Dawn mean?
Dawn means “dawn (word name)” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dawn?
Dawn was the 2174th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 85 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 1970 (15,681). Over the last ten years it has moved down 175 places. More babies were named Dawn in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Dawn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Dawn in the US.
Where is Dawn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dawn was most common in Texas (0.08 per 1,000 girls), followed by Georgia and Washington.