Dorothy
Dorothy is a feminine given name. It is the English vernacular form of the Greek Δωροθέα meaning 'God's gift', from δῶρον 'gift' + θεός 'god'. It has been in use since the 15th century. Although much less common, there are also male equivalents in English such as Dory, from the Greek masculine Δωρόθεος. Dorofei is a rarely used Russian male version of the name.
Meaning & Origin of Dorothy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Dorothy is a feminine given name. It is the English vernacular form of the Greek Δωροθέα meaning 'God's gift', from δῶρον 'gift' + θεός 'god'. It has been in use since the 15th century. Although much less common, there are also male equivalents in English such as Dory, from the Greek masculine Δωρόθεος. Dorofei is a rarely used Russian male version of the name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Dorothy
Dorothy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 112 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 39,996 Dorothys were born — ranking #2 that year. As of 2026, Dorothy ranks #419 for baby girls with 736 births, rising sharply (+25% over the past five years). In total, more than 1.1M Dorothys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Dorothy
Phonetically similar names — useful when Dorothy is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dorothy
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About the name Dorothy
Dorothy is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.1M births in the dataset. Dorothy's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare Dorothy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1924 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.