Total births
1,112,231
Girls' name · since 1880
Dorothy
1,112,231 babies named Dorothy in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1924. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #430
- among girls today
- 1,112,231
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Dorothy is the #430 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 1,112,231 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Dorothy recorded 1,112,231 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #430 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #430 among girls today
- 1,112,231 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dorothy is currently the #430 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 1,112,231 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #430
- among girls today
- 1,112,231
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Dorothy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#430
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Dorothy was born in this single decade.
1924
Single peak year
39,996 babies were named Dorothy in 1924 - its busiest year on record.
How Dorothy compares
1,112,231 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Dorothy's all-time total is 2,912x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dorothy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,112,231 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 39,996 | 48 | 19,840 |
Dorothy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Dorothy's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 10% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 90%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 109 births recorded -- set against the 1924 peak of 39,996, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Dorothy at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1924
Current rank
#430
Active since
1880
Dorothy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 39,996
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dorothy popularity over time - boys
3,677 total births recorded since 1894 (Dorothy as boys' name)
Dorothy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Dorothy's strongest decade.
368,875 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Dorothy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,088
1880s
2,088 births
- 1890s 10,846
1890s
10,846 births
- 1900s 39,112
1900s
39,112 births
- 1910s
1910s
207,475 births
- 1920s
1920s
368,875 births
- 1930s
1930s
210,415 births
- 1940s 132,257
1940s
132,257 births
- 1950s 74,475
1950s
74,475 births
- 1960s 33,011
1960s
33,011 births
- 1970s 11,664
1970s
11,664 births
- 1980s 7,143
1980s
7,143 births
- 1990s 4,211
1990s
4,211 births
- 2000s 2,717
2000s
2,717 births
- 2010s 3,958
2010s
3,958 births
- 2020s 3,984
2020s
3,984 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 368,875 births (33% of all-time use).
How Dorothy 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 Dorothy's total volume
Dorothy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Dorothy by state
Where Dorothy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 93,705 | 8.4% |
| #2 | New York | | 89,999 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 60,804 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Texas | | 52,986 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 52,207 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 37,371 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 34,974 | 3.1% |
| #8 | California | | 34,522 | 3.1% |
Pennsylvania share of Dorothy's total US births 8.4%
Even split
93,705 of 1,112,231 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Dorothy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dorothy? ▼
1,112,231 babies have been named Dorothy since 1880. It currently ranks #430 among girls. The peak year was 1924 with 39,996 births.
When was Dorothy most popular? ▼
Dorothy was most popular in the 1920s decade with 368,875 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Dorothy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dorothy are Pennsylvania (93,705 births), New York (89,999 births), Illinois (60,804 births).
How long has the name Dorothy been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Dorothy since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Dorothy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Doris, Dora, Doreen, Dorothea, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Dorothy's data
- Dorothy's decade-level peak was the 1920s (368,875 total births); usage has since declined to 3,984 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Dorothys (93,705 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Dorothy
Nearby Names Like Dorothy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dorothy
Doris Girl
#2205 462,548 births
Dora Girl
#2585 105,930 births
Doreen Girl
#5810 46,431 births
Dorothea Girl
#2067 34,421 births
Dorthy Girl
#12185 20,338 births
Compare Dorothy side by side: Dorothy vs Doris Dorothy vs Dora Dorothy vs Doreen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dorothy
Florence #429
339,093 births · Peak 1918
Carolina #431
47,971 births · Peak 2004
Arleth #428
6,840 births · Peak 2025
Salem #432
6,491 births · Peak 2023
Emely #427
23,864 births · Peak 2008
Elisa #433
47,661 births · Peak 2012
Alessandra #426
24,836 births · Peak 2015
Xiomara #434
12,239 births · Peak 2023
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. "Dorothy: #430 Girls' Name - 1,112,231 Births, Peak 1924." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dorothy. 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 Dorothy 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.