Dorothea
Dorothea was the 1782nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 174th; the most babies were born in 1920 (1,110). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,154 places. More babies were named Dorothea in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning "gift of God" · Greek
Say it dor-uh-THEE-uh /ˌdɔrəˈθiə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,782 girls, up 1,008 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 113girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19201,110 babies
- Total since 1880
- 34,427babies recorded
What does the name Dorothea mean?
Dorothea is the Latin form of the Greek Dōrothea, from dōron, "gift", and theos, "god". It is the same name as Dorothy, and the reverse of Theodora. DMNES lists two 4th-century virgin martyrs named Dorothy and several Scandinavian queens. Dorothea was used in German and English, notably for the heroine of George Eliot's Middlemarch. It was most common in the US in the 1910s and 1920s.
δῶρον (Ancient Greek, “gift”)θεός (Ancient Greek, “god”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Dorothy, Dora, Thea, Theodora, Dottie.
See also: Greek names, names that mean God, names that mean gift.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dorothea', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Dorothy', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Dorothea', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Dorothea
The usual nicknames for Dorothea are Dottie, Dora and Thea. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Dorothea in the last five years, 1194 were named Thea, against 599 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dottie · also for Dorothy | Traditional | #1,385 | 690 |
| Dora · also for Dorothy, Theodora | Traditional | #2,388 | 364 |
| Thea · also for Athena, Theodora | Traditional | #353 | 4,837 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Dorotheas go by each one.
Dorothea popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 6 since 1956.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,782 | 113 |
| 2020 | #2,790 | 59 |
| 2010 | #6,243 | 21 |
| 2000 | #6,016 | 18 |
| 1990 | #2,707 | 43 |
| 1980 | #2,107 | 49 |
| 1970 | #976 | 129 |
| 1960 | #592 | 280 |
| 1950 | #463 | 308 |
| 1940 | #344 | 350 |
| 1930 | #243 | 640 |
| 1920 | #187 | 1,110 |
| 1910 | #212 | 307 |
| 1900 | #274 | 140 |
| 1890 | #355 | 52 |
| 1880 | #425 | 16 |
How popular is Dorothea, counting every spelling?
Dorothea has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,616 for girls in 2025, against #1,782 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Dorothea?
113 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dorothea (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Dorothea 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 74 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dorothea.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dorothea?
About 9,600 people born in the US named Dorothea are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 56 and 78. That makes Dorothea 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.
Dorothea by state
How common Dorothea was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Pennsylvania (1.9×). In 38 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 Dorothea: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dorothea, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dorothea · Sibling names for Dorothea
Questions about the name Dorothea
What does Dorothea mean?
Dorothea means “"gift of God"” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dorothea?
Dorothea was the 1782nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 174th; the most babies were born in 1920 (1,110). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,154 places. More babies were named Dorothea in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Dorothea a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Dorothea in the US.
Where is Dorothea most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dorothea was most common in Pennsylvania (0.09 per 1,000 girls), followed by Massachusetts and Illinois.