Girl · #11,069 in 2026

Dot

Dot is a given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the female name Dorothy, and a nickname. Notable people and characters with the name include:

  • English
Current Rank
#11,069
Peak Rank
#1,018 (1935)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
+14%
1883
First Year
2024
Last Year
1935
Peak Year
#1018
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
83
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Dot

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Dot is a given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the female name Dorothy, and a nickname. Notable people and characters with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Dot

American parents first put Dot on the record books as a baby girl name in 1883, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1935, when 46 Dots were born — ranking #1,018 that year. About 27% of every Dot on record arrived during the 1930s, its defining decade. Dot last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 1K 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 Dot

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

Names that sound like Dot

Phonetically similar names — useful when Dot is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Dott
  • Datte
  • Dhat
  • Dadt
  • Daat
  • Dodt
  • Doubt
  • Dought
  • Dout
  • Doutt
  • Dowt
  • Daut

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dot

What does the name Dot mean?
Dot is a given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the female name Dorothy, and a nickname. Notable people and characters with the name include:
What is the origin of the name Dot?
Dot has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Dot in 2026?
In 2026, Dot ranks #11,069 among girls' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.
When was Dot most popular?
Dot reached its peak popularity in 1935, ranking #1,018 that year with 46 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Dot most popular?
Dot has historically been most popular in Alabama, Virginia, South Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Dot.
Is Dot a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Dot is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Dot?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Dot include Ronni, Kaytlin, Abrianna. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Dot?
Common variants and related forms of Dot include Dee, Dodie, Dolly, Dora, Doretta, Dorothea. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Dot

Dot is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Dot's peak popularity came in 1935 when it ranked #1,018. Use the chart and map above to compare Dot'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.