Total births
105,930
Girls' name · since 1880
Dora
105,930 babies named Dora in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2585
- among girls today
- 105,930
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
105,930 babies have been named Dora since 1880, making it today's #2585 girls' name.
Dora has 105,930 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2585 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2585 among girls today
- 105,930 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 85% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dora is currently the #2585 girls' name in America, more common than 85% of girls - 105,930 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2585
- among girls today
- 105,930
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Dora vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2585
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 85% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Dora was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
2,026 babies were named Dora in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Dora compares
105,930 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dora's all-time total is 277x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dora | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 105,930 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,026 | 48 | 19,840 |
Dora's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Dora's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 23% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 77%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2023, with only 68 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 2,026, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Dora at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#2,585
Active since
1880
Dora popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 2,026
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dora popularity over time - boys
550 total births recorded since 1880 (Dora as boys' name)
Dora by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Dora's strongest decade.
18,335 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Dora births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 7,288
1880s
7,288 births
- 1890s
1890s
8,684 births
- 1900s
1900s
8,011 births
- 1910s
1910s
14,012 births
- 1920s
1920s
18,335 births
- 1930s
1930s
12,387 births
- 1940s
1940s
9,717 births
- 1950s
1950s
9,285 births
- 1960s
1960s
7,418 births
- 1970s 3,941
1970s
3,941 births
- 1980s 2,378
1980s
2,378 births
- 1990s 1,734
1990s
1,734 births
- 2000s 1,384
2000s
1,384 births
- 2010s 919
2010s
919 births
- 2020s 437
2020s
437 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 18,335 births (17% of all-time use).
How Dora compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Dora's total volume
Dora vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Dora by state
Where Dora concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 14,075 | 13.3% |
| #2 | California | | 6,046 | 5.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 3,898 | 3.7% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 3,331 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 3,039 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 2,961 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Mississippi | | 2,596 | 2.5% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 2,539 | 2.4% |
Texas share of Dora's total US births 13.3%
Even split
14,075 of 105,930 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Dora appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dora? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 105,930 babies named Dora. Today it holds rank #2585 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1921, with 2,026 births.
When was Dora most popular? ▼
Dora was most popular in the 1920s decade with 18,335 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Dora most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dora are Texas (14,075 births), California (6,046 births), New York (3,898 births).
How long has the name Dora been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Dora since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Dora? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dorothy, Doris, Doreen, Dorothea, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Dora's data
- Dora's decade-level peak was the 1920s (18,335 total births); usage has since declined to 437 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Doras (14,075 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dora
Nearby Names Like Dora
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dora
Dorothy Girl
#430 1,112,231 births
Doris Girl
#2205 462,548 births
Doreen Girl
#5810 46,431 births
Dorothea Girl
#2067 34,421 births
Dorthy Girl
#12185 20,338 births
Compare Dora side by side: Dora vs Dorothy Dora vs Doris Dora vs Doreen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dora
Eluney #2584
216 births · Peak 2023
Irma #2586
73,769 births · Peak 1920
Thyri #2583
347 births · Peak 2023
Juanita #2587
207,684 births · Peak 1924
Daylani #2582
423 births · Peak 2025
James #2588
23,882 births · Peak 1928
Kinzlee #2581
1,540 births · Peak 2016
Prudence #2589
6,256 births · Peak 1943
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Dora: #2585 Girls' Name - 105,930 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dora. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dora draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.