Nameling

Dorothy

Gender
Girl
Say it
DOR-o-thee
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#203 for girls
US rank, 2025
#421 for girls

Vintage revival

Dorothy is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “gift of God”. In 2025 it ranked 203rd for girls in the UK (265 babies) and 421st for girls in the US (743 babies).

What does Dorothy mean?

Greek: English form of Dorothea

“gift of God”

Dorothy is the heroine of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).

More on Wiktionary.

Is Dorothy a girl's or a boy's name?

Dorothy is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 265 girls in the UK and 743 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Dorothy in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#203among girls
Babies in 2025
265about 1 in 1,100 girls
Five-year trend
Steadymuch the same
Same name in a class
1.3%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 265 girls in the UK were named Dorothy, making it the 203rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 189th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 295 girls.

Half of all the girls named Dorothy in the UK since 1996 were born between 2015 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among girls in 2025, it was 199th in England and Wales, 539th in Scotland and 231st in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#5), 1914 (#4), 1924 (#5), 1934 (#11), 1944 (#31) and 1954 (#67).

1996Busiest: 295 in 20212025
Dorothy in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025265#203
2024251#210
2023257#208
2022279#200
2021295#190
2020292#189
2019266#206
2018213#257
2017199#275
2016181#303
2015139#370
2014128#387
2013107#435
201261#725
201167#654
201055#727
200954#736
200839#908
200735#941
200626#1,118
200532#918
200423#1,112
200318#1,317
200221#1,121
200116#1,325
200021#1,073
199917#1,243
199827#891
199724#969
199621#1,024

How popular is Dorothy in the US?

Rank in 2025
#421among girls
Babies in 2025
743about 1 in 2,200 girls
Five-year trend
Risingup 29% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 743 girls in the US were named Dorothy, making it the 421st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 535th. Its busiest year was 1924, with 39,996 girls.

It has been given to more girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had more girls named Dorothy than any year since 1983.

Half of all the girls named Dorothy in the US since 1880 were born between 1920 and 1939, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 39,996 in 19242025
Dorothy in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025743#421
2024718#429
2023664#463
2022645#486
2021649#483
2020565#535
2019546#561
2018530#580
2017507#590
2016456#644
2015398#714
2014385#727
2013335#806
2012279#922
2011279#927
2010243#1,027
2009227#1,116
2008244#1,070
2007263#1,003
2006267#976
2005237#1,025
2004290#848
2003292#835
2002264#867
2001319#750
2000314#736
1999335#677
1998312#710
1997316#682
1996350#640
1995377#597
1994443#549
1993476#515
1992509#486
1991497#486
1990596#426
1989620#398
1988608#396
1987614#381
1986629#373
1985719#332
1984681#340
1983759#305
1982829#298
1981788#307
1980896#278
1979890#272
1978914#260
1977933#269
1976982#240
1975976#250
19741,098#232
19731,175#215
19721,273#218
19711,624#191
19701,799#180
19691,776#181
19682,086#157
19672,314#148
19662,664#136
19652,961#130
19643,533#118
19633,796#116
19624,073#111
19614,732#99
19605,076#95
19595,231#94
19585,539#86
19576,405#74
19566,858#72
19557,242#64
19547,789#55
19538,162#49
19528,609#46
19519,089#42
19509,551#35
194910,410#32
194811,324#29
194712,753#26
194612,797#23
194512,323#21
194413,379#19
194314,793#19
194215,037#17
194114,566#14
194014,875#12
193915,169#9
193816,358#8
193716,572#8
193617,666#6
193519,406#6
193421,281#5
193322,054#4
193224,974#4
193126,524#3
193030,411#3
192931,476#3
192833,733#3
192735,993#2
192636,618#2
192538,570#2
192439,996#2
192339,043#2
192237,716#2
192139,087#2
192036,643#2
191931,733#3
191832,030#3
191728,852#3
191627,418#3
191525,154#3
191418,782#3
191314,674#3
191212,645#3
19118,869#4
19107,318#4
19096,253#5
19085,703#6
19074,967#6
19064,326#6
19053,937#7
19043,477#10
19033,078#11
19022,707#15
19012,173#22
19002,491#27
18991,687#35
18981,671#43
18971,472#43
18961,366#46
18951,127#57
18941,052#58
1893821#68
1892626#79
1891566#76
1890458#93
1889377#102
1888373#103
1887272#111
1886230#122
1885196#128
1884163#137
1883141#137
1882115#150
1881109#144
1880112#139

Nicknames for Dorothy

Names like Dorothy

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Nancy Beatrice Edith Annie Evelyn Nellie Dolly Polly Rose Violet Elsie Florence

Names related to Dorothy

Dorothea Dorota Dorthy

More Greek names

Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Dorothy: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/dorothy, updated 20 October 2026.