Dorothy
Greek Dorothea, “gift of God,” the same two elements as Theodore reversed.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Already a top name when The Wonderful Wizard of Oz appeared in 1900, and Oz's heroine made it iconic for the 1920s generation.
Dorothy appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1890 to 1961. It spent 36 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 1924, when 39,996 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 2 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 421 for girls. All told, 1,115,908 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Dorthy (20,417), Dorathy (1,928), Dorthey (1,559), Dorothey (1,142), Dorothie (520) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Theodore, Dora
Explore Dorothy interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,088 | No. 102 |
| 1890s | 10,846 | No. 35 |
| 1900s | 39,112 | No. 5 |
| 1910s | 207,475 | No. 3 |
| 1920s | 368,875 | No. 2 |
| 1930s | 210,415 | No. 3 |
| 1940s | 132,257 | No. 12 |
| 1950s | 74,475 | No. 35 |
| 1960s | 33,011 | No. 95 |
| 1970s | 11,664 | No. 180 |
| 1980s | 7,143 | No. 278 |
| 1990s | 4,211 | No. 426 |
| 2000s | 2,717 | No. 736 |
| 2010s | 3,958 | No. 561 |
| 2020s | 3,984 | No. 421 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.