Dorothy

Dorothy: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “gift of God”
Origin: Greek
Say it: DOR-ə-thee · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

From Greek Dorothea, composed of doron 'gift' and theos 'god'. Dorothy is the usual English form; Dorothea is closer to the original Greek.

English names American names Greek names Names meaning gift Names meaning faith Classic names Vintage names International names

How popular is Dorothy?

2024214 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Dorothy in 2024714

2024 rank#431 girls

Peak year1923

Total US babies since 18801,115,156

Dorothy is rising: use over the last five years is 2.3× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Dorothy

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Dottiegift of God · English
Dollygift of God · English
Dolliegift of God · English
Dorthygift of God · Greek
Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek

Dorothy questions

What does the name Dorothy mean?

Dorothy means "gift of God". It comes from Greek. From Greek Dorothea, composed of doron 'gift' and theos 'god'. Dorothy is the usual English form; Dorothea is closer to the original Greek.

Is Dorothy a boy or girl name?

Dorothy is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Dorothy?

714 US babies were named Dorothy in 2024. Its peak year was 1923.

How do you pronounce Dorothy?

Dorothy is usually pronounced DOR-ə-thee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.