Dawn - Meaning of Dawn

What does Dawn mean?

Pronounce
Dawn

[ 1 syll. daw(n), da-wn ] The baby girl name Dawn is pronounced as DaaN, Dae-N or DaoRN †. Dawn is used mostly in the English language and its language of origin is also English. It is derived from the elements 'dawn' ; 'daeg' meaning day ; 'dagian' daybreak. The name is from the English word, itself of the Old English 'daeg' and 'dagian'. It could have originated as a vernacular form of Aurora, and was originally bestowed for its association with the freshness of daybreak. It was first coined in the early 20th century, appearing often in fiction; it later grew in popularity through several actresses who bore the name. The names Dawn and Eve have sometimes been chosen for twin girls.

Dawn has 19 derivatives. Derivatives include Adawna, Dawin, Dawna, Dawnelle, Dawnetta, Dawnette, Dawnielle, Dawnika, Dawnisha, Dawnita, Dawnyelle, Dawnysia, Dowan, Duwan, Dwan, and Ladawn. The variant spellings Daune, Dawne, and Dawnn are other English forms.

See also the related form, the English Fawn.

See also the related categories, english, word (element), and daybreak (morning).

Dawn is an uncommon baby name for girls. At the height of its usage in 1970, 0.856% of baby girls were given the name Dawn. Its ranking then was #16. The baby name has since experienced a steep fall in frequency, and is currently used on a very modest scale. In 2018, within the group of girl names directly linked to Dawn, Aurora was the most regularly used.

Baby names that sound like Dawn include Dan, Dann, Danne, Don, Doreene, Daem, Daeme, Daime, Daine, Dam, Dame, Dane, Danine, Daune, Dawne, Dawnn, Daym, Dayme, Dayne, and Deane.

† Pronunciation for Dawn: D as in "day (D.EY)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; AE as in "at (AE.T)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; R as in "race (R.EY.S)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)"

Details of famous persons named Dawn:
Actress Sheree North, born Dawn Shirley Crang, January 17, 1932 - November 4, 2005, Los Angeles, California.
Comedian Dawn French, born Dawn Roma French, 11 October 1957, Holyhead, Wales.