Dora
Dora was the 2388th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 75 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 46th; the most babies were born in 1921 (2,026). Over the last ten years it has moved down 415 places. More babies were named Dora in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning gift (short form of Dorothy, Theodora) · Greek, English
Say it DOR-uh /ˈdɔɹə/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,388 girls, up 11 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 75girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19212,026 babies
- Total since 1880
- 106,480babies recorded
What does the name Dora mean?
Dora is a short form of Dorothy, used since the early 19th century, and sometimes of Theodora or Isidora, as Wiktionary notes. These Greek names share dōron 'gift': Dorothy (Dōrothea) and Theodora both mean 'gift of God', as DMNES notes for Dorothy. Dora Spenlow, David's first wife in Dickens's David Copperfield (1850), made the short form popular.
δῶρον (dōron) (Ancient Greek, “gift”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Dorothy, Theodora, Isidora, Doris.
See also: Greek names, names that mean gift.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dora', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Dorothy', DMNES (Durham University)
Dora popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 550 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,388 | 75 |
| 2020 | #2,399 | 73 |
| 2010 | #2,300 | 83 |
| 2000 | #1,435 | 128 |
| 1990 | #972 | 192 |
| 1980 | #610 | 301 |
| 1970 | #418 | 537 |
| 1960 | #308 | 925 |
| 1950 | #252 | 896 |
| 1940 | #181 | 1,039 |
| 1930 | #142 | 1,498 |
| 1920 | #133 | 1,865 |
| 1910 | #103 | 833 |
| 1900 | #79 | 958 |
| 1890 | #62 | 883 |
| 1880 | #51 | 524 |
How popular is Dora, counting every spelling?
Dora is the most common spelling of a name family that had 75 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 75 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dora | 75 | #2,388 | 364 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dora?
75 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dora (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Dora born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 112 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dora.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dora?
About 32,400 people born in the US named Dora are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 51 and 77. That makes Dora a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dora by state
How common Dora was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (1.9×), California (1.9×). In 44 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dora: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dora, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dora · Sibling names for Dora
Dora is also a nickname for Dorothy, Theodora and Dorothea.
Questions about the name Dora
What does Dora mean?
Dora means “gift (short form of Dorothy, Theodora)” (Greek, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dora?
Dora was the 2388th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 75 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 46th; the most babies were born in 1921 (2,026). Over the last ten years it has moved down 415 places. More babies were named Dora in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Dora a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Dora in the US.
Where is Dora most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dora was most common in New York (0.09 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Texas.