Fun Facts About the Name Dorothy
- Decades of popularity: Dorothy stayed in the U.S. top 100 for 72 consecutive years, from 1890 through 1961.
- More than 1 million babies named Dorothy: U.S. records list 1,115,899 babies given the name Dorothy from 1880 through 2025. Even 3,677 boys received the name Dorothy - about 1 boy for every 302 girls.
What Does the Name Dorothy Mean?
Dorothy is the English form of Dorothea, a feminine name from Greek meaning "gift of God." It is built from two Greek elements: dōron (δῶρον), "gift," and theos (θεός), "God." The corresponding masculine Greek name was Dorotheos (Δωρόθεος), literally "gift of God," and its feminine form Dōrothea supplied the name used across Europe.
The meaning is a literal compound, not a symbolic reading added later: the two words simply join to say that the person so named is a gift from God. The name reached English through Latin Dorothea and the vernacular forms of medieval Europe, which is why the English spelling ends in -y rather than the Greek or Latin -a. Familiar short forms such as Dora, Dolly, Dot, and Dottie grew out of the longer English name rather than from the Greek original.
Dorothy Name History & Origins
The name spread through early Christian veneration of a martyr named Dorothy, said to have been put to death at Caesarea in Cappadocia. Traditional accounts place her martyrdom during the persecutions of the early fourth century, under Diocletian, but the surviving story of her life is a late legend rather than a contemporary record. In that legend she is associated with roses and apples brought to her from paradise, and she became a patron of gardeners. Her cult was observed in medieval Europe, and churches and chapels were dedicated to her, especially in England and the Low Countries.
Because of the saint's popularity, forms of the name entered the languages of western Europe. In medieval England it appears in spellings such as Dorothe and Dorathie, alongside the Latin Dorothea. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Dorothy was a well-established English given name, and English settlers carried it to New England and other colonies. The name therefore has a long documented life in English independent of any single work of literature.
Famous literary bearers are later than the name's established use. Dorothea Brooke is the central figure of George Eliot's Middlemarch (1871 - 72), and Dorothy Gale is the heroine of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). These are well-known uses of a name that already had centuries of history behind it, not the source of the name itself.
How Popular is the Name Dorothy?
Dorothy remained among the top 100 girl names in the U.S. from 1890 to 1961. Its highest annual birth count was in 1924, and people born that year turn 102 in 2026.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #421 | 743 | 0.0462% |
| 2024 | #431 | 714 | 0.0443% |
| 2023 | #462 | 664 | 0.0414% |
| 2022 | #487 | 645 | 0.0394% |
| 2021 | #483 | 649 | 0.0396% |
| 2020 | #535 | 563 | 0.0348% |
| 2019 | #561 | 546 | 0.0325% |
| 2018 | #581 | 529 | 0.0311% |
| 2017 | #590 | 507 | 0.0294% |
| 2016 | #645 | 455 | 0.0257% |
| 2015 | #714 | 398 | 0.0223% |
| 2014 | #726 | 385 | 0.0216% |
| 2013 | #806 | 335 | 0.0191% |
| 2012 | #922 | 279 | 0.0158% |
| 2011 | #927 | 279 | 0.0159% |
| 2010 | #1,027 | 243 | 0.0137% |
| 2009 | #1,117 | 227 | 0.0124% |
| 2008 | #1,071 | 244 | 0.0129% |
| 2007 | #1,004 | 263 | 0.0137% |
| 2006 | #977 | 267 | 0.0140% |
| 2005 | #1,025 | 237 | 0.0128% |
| 2004 | #849 | 290 | 0.0158% |
| 2003 | #835 | 292 | 0.0160% |
| 2002 | #868 | 264 | 0.0147% |
| 2001 | #751 | 319 | 0.0177% |
| 2000 | #737 | 314 | 0.0173% |
| 1999 | #679 | 335 | 0.0189% |
| 1998 | #710 | 312 | 0.0177% |
| 1997 | #683 | 316 | 0.0182% |
| 1996 | #640 | 350 | 0.0200% |
| 1995 | #597 | 377 | 0.0214% |
| 1994 | #549 | 443 | 0.0248% |
| 1993 | #515 | 476 | 0.0263% |
| 1992 | #486 | 509 | 0.0276% |
| 1991 | #486 | 497 | 0.0265% |
| 1990 | #426 | 596 | 0.0314% |
| 1989 | #398 | 620 | 0.0336% |
| 1988 | #396 | 608 | 0.0341% |
| 1987 | #381 | 614 | 0.0353% |
| 1986 | #373 | 629 | 0.0367% |
| 1985 | #332 | 719 | 0.0418% |
| 1984 | #340 | 681 | 0.0404% |
| 1983 | #305 | 759 | 0.0454% |
| 1982 | #298 | 829 | 0.0490% |
| 1981 | #307 | 788 | 0.0472% |
| 1980 | #278 | 896 | 0.0540% |
| 1979 | #272 | 890 | 0.0554% |
| 1978 | #260 | 914 | 0.0597% |
| 1977 | #269 | 933 | 0.0609% |
| 1976 | #240 | 982 | 0.0670% |
| 1975 | #250 | 976 | 0.0669% |
| 1974 | #232 | 1,098 | 0.0748% |
| 1973 | #215 | 1,175 | 0.0806% |
| 1972 | #218 | 1,274 | 0.0837% |
| 1971 | #191 | 1,624 | 0.0976% |
| 1970 | #180 | 1,799 | 0.1029% |
| 1969 | #181 | 1,776 | 0.1053% |
| 1968 | #157 | 2,086 | 0.1272% |
| 1967 | #148 | 2,314 | 0.1402% |
| 1966 | #136 | 2,664 | 0.1574% |
| 1965 | #130 | 2,961 | 0.1677% |
| 1964 | #118 | 3,533 | 0.1865% |
| 1963 | #116 | 3,796 | 0.1970% |
| 1962 | #111 | 4,073 | 0.2071% |
| 1961 | #99 | 4,731 | 0.2344% |
| 1960 | #95 | 5,076 | 0.2511% |
| 1959 | #94 | 5,231 | 0.2585% |
| 1958 | #86 | 5,539 | 0.2754% |
| 1957 | #74 | 6,405 | 0.3132% |
| 1956 | #72 | 6,858 | 0.3416% |
| 1955 | #64 | 7,242 | 0.3704% |
| 1954 | #55 | 7,790 | 0.4012% |
| 1953 | #49 | 8,163 | 0.4339% |
| 1952 | #46 | 8,608 | 0.4642% |
| 1951 | #42 | 9,090 | 0.5048% |
| 1950 | #35 | 9,550 | 0.5575% |
| 1949 | #32 | 10,409 | 0.6084% |
| 1948 | #29 | 11,322 | 0.6668% |
| 1947 | #26 | 12,753 | 0.7194% |
| 1946 | #23 | 12,798 | 0.8145% |
| 1945 | #21 | 12,323 | 0.9428% |
| 1944 | #19 | 13,380 | 1.0081% |
| 1943 | #19 | 14,794 | 1.0603% |
| 1942 | #17 | 15,035 | 1.1131% |
| 1941 | #14 | 14,566 | 1.2057% |
| 1940 | #12 | 14,875 | 1.3008% |
| 1939 | #9 | 15,169 | 1.3833% |
| 1938 | #8 | 16,357 | 1.4824% |
| 1937 | #8 | 16,573 | 1.5576% |
| 1936 | #6 | 17,666 | 1.6980% |
| 1935 | #6 | 19,406 | 1.8507% |
| 1934 | #5 | 21,281 | 2.0380% |
| 1933 | #4 | 22,052 | 2.1878% |
| 1932 | #4 | 24,977 | 2.3406% |
| 1931 | #3 | 26,524 | 2.4912% |
| 1930 | #3 | 30,409 | 2.7008% |
| 1929 | #3 | 31,477 | 2.8191% |
| 1928 | #3 | 33,733 | 2.9249% |
| 1927 | #2 | 35,993 | 3.0185% |
| 1926 | #2 | 36,618 | 3.0891% |
| 1925 | #2 | 38,570 | 3.1683% |
| 1924 | #2 | 39,996 | 3.2026% |
| 1923 | #2 | 39,043 | 3.2364% |
| 1922 | #2 | 37,716 | 3.1404% |
| 1921 | #2 | 39,087 | 3.1699% |
| 1920 | #2 | 36,643 | 3.0579% |
| 1919 | #3 | 31,733 | 2.8079% |
| 1918 | #3 | 32,030 | 2.7669% |
| 1917 | #3 | 28,852 | 2.6684% |
| 1916 | #3 | 27,418 | 2.6254% |
| 1915 | #3 | 25,154 | 2.5567% |
| 1914 | #3 | 18,782 | 2.4662% |
| 1913 | #3 | 14,674 | 2.3496% |
| 1912 | #3 | 12,645 | 2.2656% |
| 1911 | #4 | 8,869 | 2.1202% |
| 1910 | #4 | 7,318 | 1.8456% |
| 1909 | #5 | 6,253 | 1.8008% |
| 1908 | #6 | 5,703 | 1.7059% |
| 1907 | #6 | 4,967 | 1.5592% |
| 1906 | #6 | 4,326 | 1.4650% |
| 1905 | #7 | 3,937 | 1.3501% |
| 1904 | #10 | 3,477 | 1.2627% |
| 1903 | #11 | 3,078 | 1.1749% |
| 1902 | #15 | 2,707 | 1.0251% |
| 1901 | #22 | 2,173 | 0.9079% |
| 1900 | #27 | 2,491 | 0.8309% |
| 1899 | #35 | 1,687 | 0.7240% |
| 1898 | #43 | 1,671 | 0.6457% |
| 1897 | #43 | 1,472 | 0.6285% |
| 1896 | #46 | 1,366 | 0.5741% |
| 1895 | #57 | 1,127 | 0.4824% |
| 1894 | #58 | 1,052 | 0.4719% |
| 1893 | #68 | 821 | 0.3856% |
| 1892 | #79 | 626 | 0.2948% |
| 1891 | #76 | 566 | 0.3052% |
| 1890 | #93 | 458 | 0.2406% |
| 1889 | #102 | 377 | 0.2114% |
| 1888 | #103 | 373 | 0.2088% |
| 1887 | #112 | 272 | 0.1863% |
| 1886 | #122 | 230 | 0.1591% |
| 1885 | #128 | 196 | 0.1473% |
| 1884 | #137 | 163 | 0.1263% |
| 1883 | #137 | 141 | 0.1255% |
| 1882 | #150 | 115 | 0.1066% |
| 1881 | #144 | 109 | 0.1185% |
| 1880 | #139 | 112 | 0.1231% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #7,238 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,827 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #5,674 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #6,545 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #5,703 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #4,199 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #4,104 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #4,910 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #2,576 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #2,611 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #2,391 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1966 | #2,364 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1965 | #2,294 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1964 | #2,450 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #2,724 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #2,059 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1961 | #2,351 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #1,784 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1959 | #2,225 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1958 | #1,783 | 20 | 0.0009% |
| 1957 | #1,519 | 27 | 0.0013% |
| 1956 | #1,689 | 22 | 0.0010% |
| 1955 | #1,404 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1954 | #1,641 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1953 | #1,780 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1952 | #1,525 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1951 | #1,353 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1950 | #1,375 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1949 | #1,414 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1948 | #1,499 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1947 | #1,304 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1946 | #1,062 | 42 | 0.0026% |
| 1945 | #864 | 52 | 0.0039% |
| 1944 | #938 | 47 | 0.0034% |
| 1943 | #808 | 66 | 0.0046% |
| 1942 | #824 | 62 | 0.0045% |
| 1941 | #731 | 72 | 0.0059% |
| 1940 | #656 | 85 | 0.0073% |
| 1939 | #695 | 73 | 0.0066% |
| 1938 | #594 | 99 | 0.0089% |
| 1937 | #701 | 73 | 0.0068% |
| 1936 | #574 | 101 | 0.0097% |
| 1935 | #525 | 121 | 0.0116% |
| 1934 | #550 | 116 | 0.0112% |
| 1933 | #524 | 117 | 0.0118% |
| 1932 | #558 | 112 | 0.0107% |
| 1931 | #479 | 141 | 0.0136% |
| 1930 | #480 | 153 | 0.0139% |
| 1929 | #538 | 118 | 0.0110% |
| 1928 | #552 | 122 | 0.0110% |
| 1927 | #553 | 124 | 0.0110% |
| 1926 | #564 | 119 | 0.0107% |
| 1925 | #639 | 99 | 0.0089% |
| 1924 | #639 | 101 | 0.0089% |
| 1923 | #668 | 92 | 0.0084% |
| 1922 | #843 | 66 | 0.0061% |
| 1921 | #694 | 87 | 0.0079% |
| 1920 | #756 | 76 | 0.0071% |
| 1919 | #802 | 66 | 0.0067% |
| 1918 | #860 | 59 | 0.0058% |
| 1917 | #824 | 60 | 0.0065% |
| 1916 | #703 | 72 | 0.0081% |
| 1915 | #943 | 44 | 0.0052% |
| 1914 | #858 | 40 | 0.0061% |
| 1913 | #700 | 43 | 0.0084% |
| 1912 | #651 | 42 | 0.0098% |
| 1911 | #535 | 31 | 0.0137% |
| 1910 | #585 | 24 | 0.0124% |
| 1909 | #507 | 26 | 0.0159% |
| 1908 | #596 | 19 | 0.0123% |
| 1907 | #517 | 21 | 0.0143% |
| 1906 | #508 | 20 | 0.0150% |
| 1905 | #756 | 11 | 0.0083% |
| 1904 | #544 | 17 | 0.0133% |
| 1903 | #932 | 7 | 0.0059% |
| 1902 | #954 | 7 | 0.0057% |
| 1900 | #984 | 8 | 0.0053% |
| 1899 | #801 | 8 | 0.0075% |
| 1897 | #973 | 6 | 0.0053% |
| 1895 | #1,121 | 5 | 0.0043% |
| 1894 | #885 | 7 | 0.0060% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Dorothy
Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.
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How the Name Dorothy Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Dorothy's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Dorothy's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.