United States census records from the 1800s show a majority of the women bearing the name in the pre-Civil War era there were Black.

The name became fashionable for daughters born to aristocratic families in Britain in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The name increased in use in the Anglosphere after author Daphne du Maurier rose to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s.

Usage also increased after the name was used for characters in novels or television productions such as the popular 1960s American television series Surfside 6 in which Diane McBain played socialite Daphne Dutton, who had her own yacht called the Daffy II.

[4] It has also been popular in recent years in the United Kingdom, Quebec, Canada, France, and the Netherlands.