Daphne

Daphne was extremely rare in Britain before the late 19th century. In 1863, Charlotte Yonge, one of the very first onomastic experts, wrote "Daphne has not subsequently been used as a name except for dogs", with the "subsequently" in that phrase referring to the original ancient Greek legend!

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The first example I have found of Daphne being used for a woman in Britain is Daphne Douglas Crossley, who was born in 1796 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and living in Ovenden in Yorkshire at the time of the 1841 census. The second example in the UK census of Daphne is actually Daphne Crossley's daughter, born in 1829. This was definitely a working class family employed in Yorkshire weaving factories.

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The first example in the census of Daphne used by an aristocratic family in England doesn't happen until 1854, and it stayed rare until the 1880s, when it suddenly became somewhat fashionable in the aristocracy. But this means the character in "Bridgerton" is an anachronism -- Daphne would have been fine for an English noblewoman during the time of "Downton Abbey", but for the Georgian era where "Bridgerton" is set it is way too early and just impossible -- except perhaps, if Charlotte Yonge was right, for a dog!

I would spell It DAPHNIE.

In 2018, 48 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Daphne who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 1191st most common female first name for living U.S. citizens.

Used in modern Greek.

Once popular as a name for dogs.