Total births
2,437
Girls' name · since 1882
Dorthea
2,437 babies named Dorthea in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #15330
- among girls today
- 2,437
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 14%
- more common than other girls
2,437 babies have been named Dorthea since 1882, making it today's #15330 girls' name.
Dorthea has 2,437 recorded births among girls since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #15330 as of the latest data, more common than 14% 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 1882 to 2025.
- #15330 among girls today
- 2,437 born since 1882
- 1920s peak decade
- 14% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dorthea is currently the #15330 girls' name in America, more common than 14% of girls - 2,437 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.
- #15330
- among girls today
- 2,437
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 14%
- more common than other girls
Dorthea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#15330
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 14% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Dorthea was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
69 babies were named Dorthea in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Dorthea compares
2,437 Top 20% higher than 80% 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
Dorthea's all-time total is 6x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dorthea | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,437 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 69 | 48 | 19,840 |
Dorthea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Dorthea's full recorded timeline at 1954, 42% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 58% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 69 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Dorthea at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#15,330
Active since
1882
Dorthea popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 69
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Dorthea by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Dorthea's strongest decade.
485 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Dorthea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 16
1880s
16 births
- 1890s 16
1890s
16 births
- 1900s 48
1900s
48 births
- 1910s
1910s
286 births
- 1920s
1920s
485 births
- 1930s
1930s
262 births
- 1940s 184
1940s
184 births
- 1950s
1950s
350 births
- 1960s
1960s
329 births
- 1970s 179
1970s
179 births
- 1980s 140
1980s
140 births
- 1990s 90
1990s
90 births
- 2000s 30
2000s
30 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
- 2020s 17
2020s
17 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 485 births (20% of all-time use).
How Dorthea 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 Dorthea's total volume
Dorthea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Dorthea by state
Where Dorthea concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 49 | 2.0% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 46 | 1.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 39 | 1.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 31 | 1.3% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 27 | 1.1% |
| #6 | California | | 24 | 1.0% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 22 | 0.9% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 17 | 0.7% |
Pennsylvania share of Dorthea's total US births 2.0%
Even split
49 of 2,437 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 11 reporting states.
Dorthea appears in 11 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dorthea? ▼
2,437 babies have been named Dorthea since 1882. It currently ranks #15330 among girls. The peak year was 1921 with 69 births.
When was Dorthea most popular? ▼
Dorthea was most popular in the 1920s decade with 485 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Dorthea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dorthea are Pennsylvania (49 births), Ohio (46 births), Texas (39 births).
How long has the name Dorthea been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Dorthea since 1882 -- 144 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Dorthea? ▼
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 Dorthea's data
- Dorthea's decade-level peak was the 1920s (485 total births); usage has since declined to 17 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Dortheas (49 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 Dorthea
Nearby Names Like Dorthea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dorthea
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
Dorothea Girl
#2067 34,421 births
Compare Dorthea side by side: Dorthea vs Dorothy Dorthea vs Doris Dorthea vs Dora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dorthea
Anie #15329
236 births · Peak 1921
Fairy #15331
2,392 births · Peak 1917
Lucetta #15328
563 births · Peak 1916
Frederica #15332
2,358 births · Peak 1960
Bernadine #15327
21,933 births · Peak 1924
Lovey #15333
859 births · Peak 1925
Gene #15326
6,997 births · Peak 1925
Norine #15334
5,242 births · Peak 1920
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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Dorthea: #15330 Girls' Name - 2,437 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dorthea. 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 Dorthea 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.