Dorothy
Dorothy was given to 743 girls in 2025, #421 among girls’ names; 1,115,908 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 242,000 Americans named Dorothy and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (22% of everyone recorded); the median is 77 years old and half are between 66 and 85.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Dorothy by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Dorothy mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Dorothy is “a female given name from Ancient Greek.”
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa).
/ˈdɔɹ.ə.θi/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Dorothy?
#421 among girls’ names, 2025
Dorothy rose from #714 in 2015 to #421 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.22 to 0.46 per 1,000.
40,097 babies in 1924, the peak
Dorothy peaked in 1924, when 40,097 babies were given it (39,996 girls, #2 among girls’ names). The 743 births of 2025 are 2% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 743 | #421 | 0.46 |
| 2024 | 718 | #430 | 0.44 |
| 2023 | 664 | #463 | 0.41 |
| 2022 | 645 | #487 | 0.39 |
| 2021 | 649 | #483 | 0.40 |
| 2020 | 565 | #535 | 0.35 |
| 2019 | 546 | #561 | 0.33 |
| 2018 | 530 | #580 | 0.31 |
| 2017 | 507 | #590 | 0.29 |
| 2016 | 456 | #644 | 0.26 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 398 | #714 | 0.22 |
| 2014 | 385 | #727 | 0.22 |
| 2013 | 335 | #806 | 0.19 |
| 2012 | 279 | #922 | 0.16 |
| 2011 | 279 | #927 | 0.16 |
| 2010 | 243 | #1,027 | 0.14 |
| 2009 | 227 | #1,117 | 0.12 |
| 2008 | 244 | #1,071 | 0.13 |
| 2007 | 263 | #1,004 | 0.14 |
| 2006 | 267 | #977 | 0.14 |
| 2005 | 237 | #1,025 | 0.13 |
| 2004 | 290 | #849 | 0.16 |
| 2003 | 292 | #835 | 0.16 |
| 2002 | 264 | #868 | 0.15 |
| 2001 | 319 | #751 | 0.18 |
| 2000 | 314 | #737 | 0.17 |
| 1999 | 335 | #678 | 0.19 |
| 1998 | 312 | #710 | 0.18 |
| 1997 | 316 | #683 | 0.18 |
| 1996 | 350 | #640 | 0.20 |
| 1995 | 377 | #597 | 0.21 |
| 1994 | 443 | #549 | 0.25 |
| 1993 | 476 | #515 | 0.26 |
| 1992 | 509 | #486 | 0.28 |
| 1991 | 497 | #486 | 0.27 |
| 1990 | 596 | #426 | 0.31 |
| 1989 | 620 | #398 | 0.34 |
| 1988 | 608 | #396 | 0.34 |
| 1987 | 614 | #381 | 0.35 |
| 1986 | 629 | #373 | 0.37 |
| 1985 | 719 | #332 | 0.42 |
| 1984 | 681 | #340 | 0.40 |
| 1983 | 759 | #305 | 0.45 |
| 1982 | 829 | #298 | 0.49 |
| 1981 | 788 | #307 | 0.47 |
| 1980 | 896 | #278 | 0.54 |
| 1979 | 890 | #272 | 0.55 |
| 1978 | 914 | #260 | 0.60 |
| 1977 | 933 | #269 | 0.61 |
| 1976 | 982 | #240 | 0.67 |
| 1975 | 976 | #250 | 0.67 |
| 1974 | 1,098 | #232 | 0.75 |
| 1973 | 1,175 | #215 | 0.81 |
| 1972 | 1,273 | #218 | 0.84 |
| 1971 | 1,624 | #191 | 1.0 |
| 1970 | 1,799 | #180 | 1.0 |
| 1969 | 1,776 | #181 | 1.1 |
| 1968 | 2,086 | #157 | 1.3 |
| 1967 | 2,314 | #148 | 1.4 |
| 1966 | 2,664 | #136 | 1.6 |
| 1965 | 2,961 | #130 | 1.7 |
| 1964 | 3,533 | #118 | 1.9 |
| 1963 | 3,796 | #116 | 2.0 |
| 1962 | 4,073 | #111 | 2.1 |
| 1961 | 4,732 | #99 | 2.3 |
| 1960 | 5,076 | #95 | 2.5 |
| 1959 | 5,231 | #94 | 2.6 |
| 1958 | 5,539 | #86 | 2.8 |
| 1957 | 6,405 | #74 | 3.1 |
| 1956 | 6,858 | #72 | 3.4 |
| 1955 | 7,242 | #64 | 3.7 |
| 1954 | 7,789 | #55 | 4.0 |
| 1953 | 8,162 | #49 | 4.3 |
| 1952 | 8,609 | #46 | 4.6 |
| 1951 | 9,089 | #42 | 5.0 |
| 1950 | 9,551 | #35 | 5.6 |
| 1949 | 10,410 | #32 | 6.1 |
| 1948 | 11,324 | #29 | 6.7 |
| 1947 | 12,753 | #26 | 7.2 |
| 1946 | 12,797 | #23 | 8.1 |
| 1945 | 12,323 | #21 | 9.4 |
| 1944 | 13,379 | #19 | 10.1 |
| 1943 | 14,793 | #19 | 10.6 |
| 1942 | 15,037 | #17 | 11.1 |
| 1941 | 14,566 | #14 | 12.1 |
| 1940 | 14,875 | #12 | 13.0 |
| 1939 | 15,169 | #9 | 13.8 |
| 1938 | 16,358 | #8 | 14.8 |
| 1937 | 16,572 | #8 | 15.6 |
| 1936 | 17,666 | #6 | 17.0 |
| 1935 | 19,406 | #6 | 18.5 |
| 1934 | 21,281 | #5 | 20.4 |
| 1933 | 22,054 | #4 | 21.9 |
| 1932 | 24,974 | #4 | 23.4 |
| 1931 | 26,524 | #3 | 24.9 |
| 1930 | 30,411 | #3 | 27.0 |
| 1929 | 31,476 | #3 | 28.2 |
| 1928 | 33,733 | #3 | 29.2 |
| 1927 | 35,993 | #2 | 30.2 |
| 1926 | 36,618 | #2 | 30.9 |
| 1925 | 38,570 | #2 | 31.7 |
| 1924 | 39,996 | #2 | 32.0 |
| 1923 | 39,043 | #2 | 32.4 |
| 1922 | 37,716 | #2 | 31.4 |
| 1921 | 39,087 | #2 | 31.7 |
| 1920 | 36,643 | #2 | 30.6 |
| 1919 | 31,733 | #3 | 28.1 |
| 1918 | 32,030 | #3 | 27.7 |
| 1917 | 28,852 | #3 | 26.7 |
| 1916 | 27,418 | #3 | 26.3 |
| 1915 | 25,154 | #3 | 25.6 |
| 1914 | 18,782 | #3 | 24.7 |
| 1913 | 14,674 | #3 | 23.5 |
| 1912 | 12,645 | #3 | 22.7 |
| 1911 | 8,869 | #4 | 21.2 |
| 1910 | 7,318 | #4 | 18.5 |
| 1909 | 6,253 | #5 | 18.0 |
| 1908 | 5,703 | #6 | 17.1 |
| 1907 | 4,967 | #6 | 15.6 |
| 1906 | 4,326 | #6 | 14.6 |
| 1905 | 3,937 | #7 | 13.5 |
| 1904 | 3,477 | #10 | 12.6 |
| 1903 | 3,078 | #11 | 11.7 |
| 1902 | 2,707 | #15 | 10.3 |
| 1901 | 2,173 | #22 | 9.1 |
| 1900 | 2,491 | #27 | 8.3 |
| 1899 | 1,687 | #35 | 7.2 |
| 1898 | 1,671 | #43 | 6.5 |
| 1897 | 1,472 | #43 | 6.3 |
| 1896 | 1,366 | #46 | 5.7 |
| 1895 | 1,127 | #57 | 4.8 |
| 1894 | 1,052 | #58 | 4.7 |
| 1893 | 821 | #68 | 3.9 |
| 1892 | 626 | #79 | 2.9 |
| 1891 | 566 | #76 | 3.1 |
| 1890 | 458 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 1889 | 377 | #102 | 2.1 |
| 1888 | 373 | #103 | 2.1 |
| 1887 | 272 | #112 | 1.9 |
| 1886 | 230 | #122 | 1.6 |
| 1885 | 196 | #128 | 1.5 |
| 1884 | 163 | #137 | 1.3 |
| 1883 | 141 | #137 | 1.3 |
| 1882 | 115 | #150 | 1.1 |
| 1881 | 109 | #144 | 1.2 |
| 1880 | 112 | #139 | 1.2 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Dorothy a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Dorothy has been given almost only to girls: 3,677 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Dorothy: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Dorothy, and how old are they?
242,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 22% of the 1,115,908 Americans ever recorded as Dorothy. The median Dorothy alive today is 77 years old; half are between 66 and 85.
The 2020 Census counted 304,932 people named Dorothy (304,548 women and girls, 384 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 337,585 born in the U.S. The Census count is 10% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 88,300 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 107,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 22,400 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 9,240 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 4,430 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 7,100 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Dorothy born?
The states with the most babies named Dorothy are Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois, with 23% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 93,865 | #306 | 1.1× |
| New York | 90,189 | #452 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 60,894 | #388 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 53,121 | #607 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 52,288 | #375 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 37,389 | #428 | 0.9× |
| Massachusetts | 34,997 | #381 | 1.0× |
| California | 34,527 | #703 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 33,499 | #349 | 0.9× |
| New Jersey | 33,478 | #793 | 1.0× |
Where Dorothy is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Dorothy is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 1.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Dorothy with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 1,194,400 babies since 1880, Dorothy is the most given (93% of them). In 2025 it was given to 743 of their 864 babies (86%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Dorothy
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Dorothy and names like it
- Compare Dorothy and DorotheaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sDorothy peaked in 1924.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Dorothy since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Dorothy: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1924The year the most babies were named Dorothy.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Dorothy alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with DMost given first.