Girl nameCurrently #431 in the USRising
Dorothy
DOR-uh-thee//ˈdɒrəθi//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19247 lettersStarts with D
Meaning & origin
Gift of God
Dorothy comes from the Greek elements 'doron' (gift) and 'theos' (God), meaning 'gift of God'. Immensely popular in the early 20th century and forever tied to Dorothy Gale of 'The Wizard of Oz', it has seen a strong vintage revival in recent years.
Dorothy's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Dorothy |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 112 |
| 1881 | 109 |
| 1882 | 115 |
| 1883 | 141 |
| 1884 | 163 |
| 1885 | 196 |
| 1886 | 230 |
| 1887 | 272 |
| 1888 | 373 |
| 1889 | 377 |
| 1890 | 458 |
| 1891 | 566 |
| 1892 | 626 |
| 1893 | 821 |
| 1894 | 1,059 |
| 1895 | 1,132 |
| 1896 | 1,366 |
| 1897 | 1,478 |
| 1898 | 1,671 |
| 1899 | 1,695 |
| 1900 | 2,499 |
| 1901 | 2,173 |
| 1902 | 2,714 |
| 1903 | 3,085 |
| 1904 | 3,494 |
| 1905 | 3,948 |
| 1906 | 4,346 |
| 1907 | 4,988 |
| 1908 | 5,722 |
| 1909 | 6,279 |
| 1910 | 7,342 |
| 1911 | 8,900 |
| 1912 | 12,687 |
| 1913 | 14,717 |
| 1914 | 18,822 |
| 1915 | 25,198 |
| 1916 | 27,490 |
| 1917 | 28,912 |
| 1918 | 32,089 |
| 1919 | 31,799 |
| 1920 | 36,719 |
| 1921 | 39,174 |
| 1922 | 37,782 |
| 1923 | 39,135 |
| 1924 | 40,097 |
| 1925 | 38,669 |
| 1926 | 36,737 |
| 1927 | 36,117 |
| 1928 | 33,855 |
| 1929 | 31,595 |
| 1930 | 30,562 |
| 1931 | 26,665 |
| 1932 | 25,089 |
| 1933 | 22,169 |
| 1934 | 21,397 |
| 1935 | 19,527 |
| 1936 | 17,767 |
| 1937 | 16,646 |
| 1938 | 16,456 |
| 1939 | 15,242 |
| 1940 | 14,960 |
| 1941 | 14,638 |
| 1942 | 15,097 |
| 1943 | 14,860 |
| 1944 | 13,427 |
| 1945 | 12,375 |
| 1946 | 12,840 |
| 1947 | 12,785 |
| 1948 | 11,346 |
| 1949 | 10,436 |
| 1950 | 9,578 |
| 1951 | 9,120 |
| 1952 | 8,633 |
| 1953 | 8,182 |
| 1954 | 7,812 |
| 1955 | 7,272 |
| 1956 | 6,880 |
| 1957 | 6,432 |
| 1958 | 5,559 |
| 1959 | 5,245 |
| 1960 | 5,097 |
| 1961 | 4,744 |
| 1962 | 4,089 |
| 1963 | 3,806 |
| 1964 | 3,545 |
| 1965 | 2,974 |
| 1966 | 2,676 |
| 1967 | 2,326 |
| 1968 | 2,097 |
| 1969 | 1,788 |
| 1970 | 1,804 |
| 1971 | 1,624 |
| 1972 | 1,281 |
| 1973 | 1,182 |
| 1974 | 1,098 |
| 1975 | 981 |
| 1976 | 982 |
| 1977 | 933 |
| 1978 | 914 |
| 1979 | 890 |
| 1980 | 896 |
| 1981 | 793 |
| 1982 | 829 |
| 1983 | 765 |
| 1984 | 681 |
| 1985 | 724 |
| 1986 | 629 |
| 1987 | 614 |
| 1988 | 608 |
| 1989 | 626 |
| 1990 | 596 |
| 1991 | 497 |
| 1992 | 509 |
| 1993 | 476 |
| 1994 | 443 |
| 1995 | 377 |
| 1996 | 350 |
| 1997 | 316 |
| 1998 | 312 |
| 1999 | 335 |
| 2000 | 314 |
| 2001 | 319 |
| 2002 | 264 |
| 2003 | 292 |
| 2004 | 290 |
| 2005 | 237 |
| 2006 | 267 |
| 2007 | 263 |
| 2008 | 244 |
| 2009 | 227 |
| 2010 | 243 |
| 2011 | 279 |
| 2012 | 279 |
| 2013 | 335 |
| 2014 | 385 |
| 2015 | 398 |
| 2016 | 455 |
| 2017 | 507 |
| 2018 | 529 |
| 2019 | 546 |
| 2020 | 563 |
| 2021 | 649 |
| 2022 | 645 |
| 2023 | 664 |
| 2024 | 714 |
Dorothy through the decades
- Dorothy peaked in 1924, when 40,097 babies were named Dorothy in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Dorothy has risen 106% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Dorothy currently ranks #431 in the US and is on the rise.
Nicknames
DotDottie
Variants & spellings
DorotheaDorothée
Famous people named Dorothy
- Dorothy Parker — writer and wit