Dulcinea
About Dulcinea
Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional world of the book, though, Dulcinea is not the woman's real name; Aldonza is. And because she never appears in person in the text, it's unclear whether she is as beautiful and saintly as the protagonist believes her to be. Probably not, given Don Quixote's track record.
Pronounced dul-sin-AY-uh.
As of October 2026, Dulcinea ranked #12476 in US births in 2024 SSA, peaked at #3932 in 1934.
Editor's take: The name Dulcinea is a girl's name of Spanish origin meaning "sweetness".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Dulcinea.
- Leocadia
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Dulcinea on lists
Dulcinea in pop culture
- Dulcinea del Toboso
character in Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote"
- Dulcinea the Dragon
character in the "Sonic the Hedgehog"
- Dulcinea "Nan" Pilgrim
character in "Witch Week" by Diana Wynne Jones (named after her ancestor, the "Archwitch" Dulcinea Wilkes)
- Dulcinea
sweet natured cat character from the Adventures of Puss In Boots