Home › Baby Names Directory › Dawnette

Dawnette

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Dawnette

Pronounced dawn-ET /dɔːˈnɛt/Medium

Meaning: Dawnette joins the English word-name Dawn — meaning 'daybreak' or 'first light' — to the French diminutive -ette, in the mould of Nanette and Paulette. Dawn was a fresh mid-century virtue-style name, and Dawnette is its ornamented offshoot. It is a wholly American formation.Medium

In 30 seconds: Dawnette dresses the word-name Dawn, 'daybreak', in a French -ette ending — a bright mid-century coinage.

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningDawnette joins the English word-name Dawn — meaning 'daybreak' or 'first light' — to the French diminutive -ette, in the mould of Nanette and Paulette. Dawn was a fresh mid-century virtue-style name, and Dawnette is its ornamented offshoot. It is a wholly American formation.

U.S. rank (1991)#13686 ↘ Falling

1991 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1971

Total births (all-time)≈ 656

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Dawnette is a coined name joining Dawn, the English word for 'daybreak', to the French -ette ending. Dawn rose as a mid-century virtue-style name, and Dawnette followed as its dressier form, reaching its high around 1971.

It reads as bright and dated, its two crisp beats echoing the -ette names of its era. A product of its day, it faded with the rest of that family and carries a cheerful, sunrise-themed charm.

Did you know? Dawnette pairs two fashions of its day: the sunrise word-name Dawn and the frilly French -ette ending that also gave Paulette and Nanette.

Overall data confidence 55%

References — Dawnette — Dawn + -ette coinage

Variations

DawnettaDonette

Nicknames

DawnNettie

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Dawnette…

Dawn— the word-name at Dawnette's core

Annette— a like French -ette diminutive

Paulette— shares the crisp mid-century -ette sound

Danette— another -ette coinage of the era

Explore names like Dawnette

By themevintage mid-century

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Dawnette mean?

Dawnette joins the word-name Dawn, 'daybreak', to the French -ette ending.

How do you pronounce Dawnette?

It's said dawn-ET /dɔːˈnɛt/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Dawnette a boy or girl name?

Dawnette is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Dawnette?

Dawnette was an uncommon -ette coinage that reached its high in the early nineteen-seventies.