Dorothy
Dorothy was the 421st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 743 babies. Its best year was 1920, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1924 (39,996). Over the last ten years it has moved up 293 places. More babies were named Dorothy in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning gift of God · Greek
Say it DOR-uh-thee /ˈdɔrəθi/
- Rank in 2025
- #421 girls, up 114 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 743girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192439,996 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,115,908babies recorded
What does the name Dorothy mean?
Dorothy is the English form of Greek Dōrothea, from dōron, "gift", and theos, "god", so "gift of God". DMNES lists two 4th-century virgin martyrs of the name and notes it did not become common in England until the 16th century; Theodora has the same elements reversed. The Random House dictionary calls it a form of Dorothea. Dorothy of The Wizard of Oz is a famous bearer.
δῶρον (Ancient Greek, “gift”)θεός (Ancient Greek, “god”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Dorothea, Dot, Dottie, Thea, Theodora.
See also: Greek names, names that mean God, names that mean gift.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dorothy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Dorothy', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Dorothy', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Dorothy
The usual nicknames for Dorothy are Dot, Dottie, Dolly and Dora. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Dorothy in the last five years, 20 were named Dottie, against 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot | Traditional | #9,017 | 39 |
| Dottie · also for Dorothea | Traditional | #1,385 | 690 |
| Dolly · also for Dolores | Traditional | #1,781 | 569 |
| Dora · also for Theodora, Dorothea | Traditional | #2,388 | 364 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Dorothys go by each one.
Dorothy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 3,677 since 1894.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #421 | 743 |
| 2020 | #535 | 565 |
| 2010 | #1,027 | 243 |
| 2000 | #737 | 314 |
| 1990 | #426 | 596 |
| 1980 | #278 | 896 |
| 1970 | #180 | 1,799 |
| 1960 | #95 | 5,076 |
| 1950 | #35 | 9,551 |
| 1940 | #12 | 14,875 |
| 1930 | #3 | 30,411 |
| 1920 | #2 | 36,643 |
| 1910 | #4 | 7,318 |
| 1900 | #27 | 2,491 |
| 1890 | #93 | 458 |
| 1880 | #139 | 112 |
How popular is Dorothy, counting every spelling?
Dorothy is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #440 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #421 for Dorothy on its own. Together these spellings went to 743 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorothy | 743 | #421 | 3,419 |
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 Dorothy?
743 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dorothy (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Dorothy 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dorothy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dorothy?
About 239,100 people born in the US named Dorothy are alive today, with a median age of 77; half are between 66 and 85. That makes Dorothy 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.
Dorothy by state
How common Dorothy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (3.5×), Wisconsin (2.6×), Indiana (2.2×), Missouri (2.2×), Iowa (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, New Jersey, Connecticut.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dorothy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dorothy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dorothy · Sibling names for Dorothy
Questions about the name Dorothy
What does Dorothy mean?
Dorothy means “gift of God” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dorothy?
Dorothy was the 421st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 743 babies. Its best year was 1920, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1924 (39,996). Over the last ten years it has moved up 293 places. More babies were named Dorothy in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Dorothy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Dorothy in the US.
Where is Dorothy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dorothy was most common in New Hampshire (1.46 per 1,000 girls), followed by Montana and Wyoming.