Girl · #419 in 2026

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.

  • English
Current Rank
#419
Peak Rank
#2 (1924)
Total Babies
1.1M
5-Yr Trend
+25%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1924
Peak Year
#2
Peak Rank
1.1M
Total Count
147
Years Active

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 →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Dorothy

American parents first put Dorothy on the record books as a baby girl name in 1880, with 112 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 39,996 Dorothys were born — ranking #2 that year. About 33% of every Dorothy on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Dorothy ranks #419 for baby girls with 736 births, rising sharply (+25% over the past five years). All told, over 1.1M Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Dorothy

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Dorothy. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Where is Dorothy most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • United States
    61%
  • United Kingdom
    14%
  • Canada
    12%
  • Kenya
    7%
  • GH
    7%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

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

What does the name Dorothy mean?
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.
What is the origin of the name Dorothy?
Dorothy has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Dorothy in 2026?
In 2026, Dorothy ranks #419 among girls' names in the U.S., with 736 babies given the name that year.
When was Dorothy most popular?
Dorothy reached its peak popularity in 1924, ranking #2 that year with 39,996 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Dorothy most popular?
Dorothy has historically been most popular in Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Dorothy.
Is Dorothy a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Dorothy is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Dorothy?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Dorothy include Anna, Helen, Susan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Dorothy?
Common variants and related forms of Dorothy include Dee, Dodie, Dollie, Dolly, Dora, Dorean. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

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Susan
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Hannah
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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

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.