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First Name
1.1m
in the U.S.
since 1880
Last Name
798
in the U.S.
in 2010

Dorothy

Girls
Boys
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Last
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How to Pronounce Dorothy

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How popular is the baby name Dorothy in the U.S.?

Click Here to Show Chart Data
Year Total Babies Born Girls Born Boys Born Ranking
1880 112 112 0
1881 109 109 0
1882 115 115 0
1883 141 141 0
1884 163 163 0
1885 196 196 0
1886 230 230 0
1887 272 272 0
1888 373 373 0
1889 377 377 0
1890 458 458 0 #93 girl name
1891 566 566 0 #77 girl name
1892 626 626 0 #79 girl name
1893 821 821 0 #68 girl name
1894 1,059 1,052 7 #58 girl name
1895 1,132 1,127 5 #57 girl name
1896 1,366 1,366 0 #46 girl name
1897 1,478 1,472 6 #43 girl name
1898 1,671 1,671 0 #43 girl name
1899 1,695 1,687 8 #35 girl name
1900 2,499 2,491 8 #27 girl name
1901 2,173 2,173 0 #22 girl name
1902 2,714 2,707 7 #15 girl name
1903 3,085 3,078 7 #11 girl name
1904 3,494 3,477 17 #10 girl name
1905 3,948 3,937 11 #7 girl name
1906 4,346 4,326 20 #6 girl name
1907 4,988 4,967 21 #6 girl name
1908 5,722 5,703 19 #6 girl name
1909 6,279 6,253 26 #5 girl name
1910 7,342 7,318 24 #4 girl name
1911 8,900 8,869 31 #4 girl name
1912 12,687 12,645 42 #3 girl name
1913 14,717 14,674 43 #3 girl name
1914 18,822 18,782 40 #3 girl name
1915 25,198 25,154 44 #3 girl name
1916 27,487 27,415 72 #3 girl name
1917 28,913 28,853 60 #3 girl name
1918 32,093 32,034 59 #3 girl name
1919 31,800 31,734 66 #3 girl name
1920 36,721 36,645 76 #2 girl name
1921 39,170 39,083 87 #2 girl name
1922 37,777 37,711 66 #2 girl name
1923 39,137 39,045 92 #2 girl name
1924 40,097 39,996 101 #2 girl name
1925 38,671 38,572 99 #2 girl name
1926 36,733 36,614 119 #2 girl name
1927 36,111 35,987 124 #2 girl name
1928 33,850 33,728 122 #3 girl name
1929 31,595 31,477 118 #3 girl name
1930 30,557 30,404 153 #3 girl name
1931 26,663 26,521 142 #3 girl name
1932 25,079 24,968 111 #4 girl name
1933 22,167 22,050 117 #4 girl name
1934 21,396 21,280 116 #5 girl name
1935 19,521 19,400 121 #6 girl name
1936 17,769 17,668 101 #6 girl name
1937 16,644 16,571 73 #8 girl name
1938 16,447 16,348 99 #8 girl name
1939 15,243 15,170 73 #9 girl name
1940 14,959 14,874 85 #12 girl name
1941 14,633 14,561 72 #14 girl name
1942 15,094 15,032 62 #17 girl name
1943 14,851 14,785 66 #19 girl name
1944 13,425 13,378 47 #19 girl name
1945 12,380 12,328 52 #20 girl name
1946 12,838 12,796 42 #23 girl name
1947 12,783 12,751 32 #26 girl name
1948 11,350 11,326 24 #29 girl name
1949 10,433 10,406 27 #32 girl name
1950 9,583 9,555 28 #35 girl name
1951 9,112 9,082 30 #42 girl name
1952 8,633 8,608 25 #46 girl name
1953 8,173 8,154 19 #49 girl name
1954 7,813 7,791 22 #55 girl name
1955 7,271 7,241 30 #65 girl name
1956 6,885 6,862 23 #72 girl name
1957 6,428 6,401 27 #74 girl name
1958 5,558 5,539 19 #86 girl name
1959 5,252 5,238 14 #94 girl name
1960 5,098 5,077 21 #95 girl name
1961 4,739 4,726 13 #99 girl name
1962 4,091 4,075 16
1963 3,801 3,791 10
1964 3,547 3,535 12
1965 2,973 2,960 13
1966 2,679 2,667 12
1967 2,328 2,316 12
1968 2,095 2,084 11
1969 1,790 1,778 12
1970 1,807 1,802 5
1971 1,626 1,626 0
1972 1,284 1,277 7
1973 1,182 1,175 7
1974 1,100 1,100 0
1975 980 975 5
1976 983 983 0
1977 934 934 0
1978 913 913 0
1979 889 889 0
1980 900 895 5
1981 792 787 5
1982 828 828 0
1983 765 759 6
1984 682 682 0
1985 724 719 5
1986 629 629 0
1987 614 614 0
1988 608 608 0
1989 626 620 6
1990 596 596 0
1991 498 498 0
1992 508 508 0
1993 476 476 0
1994 442 442 0
1995 376 376 0
1996 350 350 0
1997 315 315 0
1998 312 312 0
1999 335 335 0
2000 312 312 0
2001 317 317 0
2002 263 263 0
2003 291 291 0
2004 288 288 0
2005 234 234 0
2006 265 265 0
2007 262 262 0
2008 242 242 0
2009 226 226 0
2010 240 240 0
2011 276 276 0
2012 277 277 0
2013 334 334 0
2014 382 382 0
2015 395 395 0

Fun Facts about the name Dorothy

  • How many people with the first name Dorothy have been born in the United States? From 1880 to 2015, the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,109,788 babies born with the first name Dorothy in the United States. That's more than enough people named Dorothy to occupy the country of Timor-Leste with an estimated population of 1,066,409 (as of July 11, 2010).
  • What year were 5 or more babies first named Dorothy? The name was first given to 5 or more babies in the year 1880 when it was given as a first name to 112 new born babies.
  • When was Dorothy first recorded in the United States? The oldest recorded birth by the Social Security Administration for the first name Dorothy is Monday, February 13th, 1837.
  • What year had the most people named Dorothy born? The highest recorded use of the first name Dorothy was in 1924 with a total of 39,996 babies. That's a lot of babies named Dorothy!
  • Random Dorothy Factoid: According to the 1927 U.S. Social Security Administration data, the first name Dorothy ranks 4th in popularity as a baby girl's name in New Hampshire. Imagine that, 106 babies in New Hampshire have the same name as you in 1927.
  • Weird things about the name Dorothy: Your name in reverse order is Yhtorod. A random rearrangement of the letters in your name (anagram) will give Yoothrd. How do you pronounce that?
  • How many people have the last name Dorothy? In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau surveyed 798 people with the last name Dorothy.
  • How likely are you to meet someone with the last name of Dorothy? Chances are, most people haven't met someone with Dorothy as their last name since less than 1 person in 370k people have that last name. If you know one, consider yourself lucky!

Where is the name Dorothy popular?

View popular names by state or region.

Popularity of Dorothy as a first name

The map shows the relative popularity of the name Dorothy as a first name in each of the states. See other popular names in Mississippi, Pennsylvania, or Arkansas.

Popularity of Dorothy as a last name

The map shows the absolute popularity of the name Dorothy as a last name in each of the states. See other popular names in Iowa, Illinois, or California.

Common last names for Dorothy

  • Smith
  • Johnson
  • Brown
  • Miller
  • Williams
  • Jones
  • Davis
  • Anderson
  • Wilson
  • Moore
  • Martin
  • Taylor
  • Thompson
  • White
  • Thomas
  • Clark
  • Jackson
  • Harris
  • Lewis
  • Hall

Common first names for Dorothy

Ethnicity Distribution

Ethnicity Dorothy U.S.
█  White 84.34% 64.26%
█  African American 9.27% 11.96%
█  Asian, Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander 0.63% 4.85%
█  American Indian and Alaska Native 1.50% 0.69%
█  Two or More Ethnicities 2.01% 1.76%
█  Hispanic or Latino 2.26% 16.26%

Of Last Name Dorothy

People with the last name Dorothy are most frequently White

Entire United States

Meaning, Origin, Inspirations, and Associations

Have you been wondering what does the name "Dorothy" mean? The list below shows the origins of Dorothy as well as things modernly associated with the name Dorothy such as celebrities named Dorothy.

Greek

Origin and Meaning of Dorothy

The name "Dorothy" is of Greek origin, and it means "Gift of God". It's a name commonly given to girls.

Wiktionary

The English form of Latin Dorothea, the name of a legendary (and possibly fictitious) saint, from Ancient Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa), from δῶρον (dôron, “gift”) + θεός (theós, “god”).

  1. A female given name.

Notable Persons With the Name Dorothy

Faye Dunaway

Faye Dunaway is an actress. Her ongoing career started in 1962. Faye was given the name Dorothy Faye Dunaway on January 14th, 1941 in Bascom, Florida.

Popularity:

Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge was an actor, singing, dance, actress, singer, and dancer. Her ongoing career started in 1933. Dorothy was given the name Dorothy Jean Dandridge by her parent Ruby Dandridge on November 9th, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. She died on September 8th, 1965.

Popularity:

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an author, poet, critic, and screenwriter. Dorothy was given the name Dorothy Rothschild on August 22nd, 1893 in Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S. She passed away on June 7th, 1967.

Popularity:

Dorothy Kilgallen

Dorothy Kilgallen was a media personality, author, journalist, and panelist. Dorothy was given the name Dorothy Mae Kilgallen on July 3rd, 1913 in New York, New York, U.S. She died on November 8th, 1965.

Popularity:

Dorothy Bush Koch

Dorothy Bush Koch is a famous person. Dorothy was given the name Dorothy Walker Bush by her parents George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush on August 18th, 1959 in Harris County, Texas.

Popularity:

Dorothy Howell Rodham

Dorothy Howell Rodham was a leading individual. She holds the title President Barack Obama after a ceremony in the White House on the life of Dorothy Rodham. Dorothy was given the name Dorothy Emma Howell on June 4th, 1919 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. She breathed her last breath on November 1st, 2011.

Popularity:
  • Dorothy Day
    (noteworthy human)
  • Dorothy Stratten
    (model)
  • Joanna Moore
    (actress)
  • Dorothy McGuire
    (famous individual)
  • Dorothy Lamour
    (actress)
  • Dorothy Gale
    (fictional character)
  • Dorothy L. Sayers
    (novelist)
  • Dorothy Hamill
    (figure skater)
  • Dorothy I. Height
    (educator)
  • Dorothy Malone
    (actress)
  • Dorothy Provine
    (actress)
  • Dottie West
    (musician)
  • Dorothy Gish
    (actress)
  • Kim Hamilton
    (actress)

Notable Persons With the Last Name Dorothy

Gould Dorothy

Gould Dorothy was a leading somebody. Gould was born on January 15th, 1910. She died on July 26th, 2000.

Popularity:

Nditi Dorothy

Nditi Dorothy is a noteworthy person. Nditi was born in 1973. Nditi is also known as Dorothy Nditi Muchungu, FATHER = Salesio Muchungu Kivandi, and MOTHER = Edith Kanini Muchungu.

Popularity:

Liesel Dorothy

Liesel Dorothy is a noteworthy human. Liesel was born on January 16th, 1984.

Popularity:

What does the name Dorothy mean?

Dis for delight, a surprise from within.

Ois for objective, always impartial

Ris for relax, you know how!

Ois for organized, you always know where things are

Tis for thoughtful, the caring you.

His for hardy, can't keep you down!

Yis for young, the years never show!

Name poster for Dorothy

Name poster for Dorothy(click to save the high quality version)

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau: Frequently Occurring Surnames from the Census 2000 (public domain). U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names, Death Master File (public domain). 1913 Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary via the Collaborative International Dictionary of English (License). Wiktionary: Titles and License. Notable persons via Wikipedia: Titles and License. Click each image for the attribution information.

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