Total births
34,421
Girls' name · since 1880
Dorothea
Dorothea has 34,421 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2067
- among girls today
- 34,421
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
34,421 babies have been named Dorothea since 1880, making it today's #2067 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dorothea has been recorded 34,421 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #2067 nationally and more common than 88% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2067 among girls today
- 34,421 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 88% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dorothea is currently the #2067 girls' name in America, more common than 88% of girls - 34,421 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2067
- among girls today
- 34,421
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Dorothea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2067
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 88% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Dorothea was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
1,110 babies were named Dorothea in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Dorothea compares
34,421 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Dorothea's all-time total is 90x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dorothea | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 34,421 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,110 | 48 | 19,840 |
Dorothea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Dorothea's full recorded timeline at 1953, 20% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 80% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2005, with just 14 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 1,110 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Dorothea at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1920
Current rank
#2,067
Active since
1880
Dorothea popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 1,110
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dorothea popularity over time - boys
6 total births recorded since 1956 (Dorothea as boys' name)
Dorothea by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Dorothea's strongest decade.
8,518 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Dorothea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 347
1880s
347 births
- 1890s 807
1890s
807 births
- 1900s 1,810
1900s
1,810 births
- 1910s
1910s
7,750 births
- 1920s
1920s
8,518 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,180 births
- 1940s 3,111
1940s
3,111 births
- 1950s 3,008
1950s
3,008 births
- 1960s 2,326
1960s
2,326 births
- 1970s 768
1970s
768 births
- 1980s 478
1980s
478 births
- 1990s 299
1990s
299 births
- 2000s 210
2000s
210 births
- 2010s 345
2010s
345 births
- 2020s 464
2020s
464 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 8,518 births (25% of all-time use).
How Dorothea 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 Dorothea's total volume
Dorothea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Dorothea by state
Where Dorothea concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 4,767 | 13.8% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 3,215 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 2,080 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,762 | 5.1% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 1,644 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 1,491 | 4.3% |
| #7 | California | | 1,201 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,149 | 3.3% |
New York share of Dorothea's total US births 13.8%
Even split
4,767 of 34,421 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Dorothea appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dorothea? ▼
34,421 babies have been named Dorothea since 1880. It currently ranks #2067 among girls. The peak year was 1920 with 1,110 births.
When was Dorothea most popular? ▼
Dorothea was most popular in the 1920s decade with 8,518 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Dorothea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dorothea are New York (4,767 births), Pennsylvania (3,215 births), Massachusetts (2,080 births).
How long has the name Dorothea been used? ▼
Dorothea has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Dorothea? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dorothy, Doris, Dora, Doreen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Dorothea's data
- Dorothea's decade-level peak was the 1920s (8,518 total births); usage has since declined to 464 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Dorotheas (4,767 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Dorothea
Nearby Names Like Dorothea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dorothea
Dorothy Girl
#430 1,112,231 births
Doris Girl
#2205 462,548 births
Dora Girl
#2585 105,930 births
Doreen Girl
#5810 46,431 births
Dorthy Girl
#12185 20,338 births
Compare Dorothea side by side: Dorothea vs Dorothy Dorothea vs Doris Dorothea vs Dora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dorothea
Jailani #2066
614 births · Peak 2025
Leonor #2068
6,173 births · Peak 2024
Aysel #2065
705 births · Peak 2023
Adelaida #2069
3,177 births · Peak 2024
Alaiah #2064
1,156 births · Peak 2020
Brenna #2070
29,371 births · Peak 1995
Aulani #2063
1,117 births · Peak 2025
Kaci #2071
10,009 births · Peak 1990
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. "Dorothea: #2067 Girls' Name - 34,421 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dorothea. 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 Dorothea 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.