The baby name Fawn combines a gentle nature vibe with a pretty color.
Thanks to Joanie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME FAWN MEAN?
Chances are you know the meaning of the baby name Fawn already. It’s a young deer.
In fact, fawn used to refer to any young animal. It shares roots with the Latin word fetus, which means “a bringing forth.”
Since the 19th century, it’s also been a color name. Fawn is a light yellowish-brown, the same as the color of a young deer’s coat.
MIDCENTURY NATURE NAME
The baby name Fawn debuted in the United States Social Security Administration data set way back in the year 1900, with six births.
In 1942, Disney’s Bambi debuted. Bambi is the animated story of a young deer – a fawn. The young white-tailed deer loses his mother, makes friends with all sorts of forest creatures, and grows up to find love and build a life of his own. In 1943, the baby name Bambi debuted in the US data for girls, with eight births. By 1954, Bambi ranked in the girls’ Top 1000.
Did you notice the gender swap? Bambi in the movie is a boy, but Bambi has always been used as a girl’s name. It comes from the Italian word bambina, meaning girl in English. (I think it’s more like the Spanish chica or Scottish lassie.)
So the idea of a name linked to deer wasn’t crazy by the time nature name Dawn and Irish import Sean, Shawn, and Shaun caught on.
In fact, Dawn and Shawn, also used as a girl’s name, probably explain the rise of Fawn. They all trend upward during the 1960s and peak in the 1970s.
FAUN and FAUNA
One more consideration: faun – spelled with a U – is another word for a woodland spirit. Fauns were usually depicted as a sort of half-man, half-goat satyr-like creature.
In Roman mythology, Faunus is the equivalent of the Greek Pan, a rustic god of the forests and countryside. His wife – or possibly daughter or sister – was called Fauna.
By the 18th century, Fauna was less of a given name and more of a scientific term. Fauna referred to the animal life of a particular region. It mirrors our word flora. Carl Linneaus, that tireless cataloger of the natural world, published Fauna Suecica – the animals of Sweden – in 1746.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME FAWN?
As of 2024, 22 girls were named Fawn.
That’s pretty rare, but far from unknown – especially considering all those years the baby name Fawn ranked in the US Top 1000. It left the popularity rankings in 1983.
FAWNIE GOLDEN
One reason the baby name Fawn is back in the spotlight now: influencers Nara and Lucky Blue Smith welcomed a daughter named Fawnie Golden in October of 2025.
Fawnie has never appeared in US popularity data, but it feels like the perfect name for their family. Lucky has daughter Gravity Blue, from a prior relationship; together their family also includes Rumble Honey, Slim Easy, and Whimsy Lou.
WILL FAWN TREND?
The baby name Fawn has been popular in the past, in the age of Dawn and Shawn.
Today, it’s worth noting that the Irish Fiadh or Fia is wildly popular in Ireland. It comes from an Irish word meaning deer, but represents all things wild and free.
A handful of fictional and real uses of the name have made Fawn slighlty more familiar, like The New Girl’s character Councilwoman Fawn Moscato.
Also worth noting: Fawn is a color, which puts this name in the same broad category as Scarlett and Sage.
If you’re after a brief, modern name with a sprinkle of influencer pixie dust to ensure it’s perceved as interesting? The baby name might be a favorite.
What do you think of the baby name Fawn?
