Dorothy
Top 1000
About Dorothy
In the 1930s, Dorothy left Kansas and landed in the Land of Oz; by the '80s she had become a Golden Girl, living in Miami with roommates Blanche and Rose, giving her a decidedly older image. But parents today seeking a quiet classic are bringing Dorothy back—she reentered the Top 1000 in 2011 after almost completely disappearing.
Dorothy was once one of the most popular names in the US; she was in the Top 10 from 1904 to 1939, and held the Number 2 spot for eight years.
Dorothy has been used in Britain since the sixteenth century and was so common there that nickname Dolly led to the word "doll." Many Brits are reviving the cute nickname Dot or Dottie.
There are numerous worthy Dorothy namesakes, including essayist and wit Dorothy Parker; writer Dorothy L. Sayers; journalist Dorothy Thomson; social activist Dorothy Day; actresses Dorothy Gish, Dandridge, McGuire, and Lamour; and figure skater/haircut icon Dorothy Hamill. Actress Faye Dunaway was born Dorothy.
Some parents now are favoring the more flowing, romantic variant Dorothea.
Pronounced DOR-uh-thee.
As of October 2026, Dorothy ranked #421 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2 in 1925, Nameberry popularity #238.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #726 | 385 | 215.5 |
| 2015 | #714 | 398 | 223 |
| 2016 | #645 | 455 | 256.8 |
| 2017 | #590 | 507 | 293.7 |
| 2018 | #581 | 529 | 311 |
| 2019 | #561 | 546 | 325.3 |
| 2020 | #535 | 563 | 348.3 |
| 2021 | #483 | 649 | 395.5 |
| 2022 | #487 | 645 | 393.3 |
| 2023 | #462 | 664 | 413.8 |
| 2024 | #431 | 714 | 440.7 |
| 2025 | #421 | 743 | 462.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Dorothy.
- Ruth
- Frances
- Martha
- Harriet
- Agnes
- Henrietta
- Louise
- Betty
- Virginia
- Susannah
- Greta
- Philippa
- Helen
- Bernadette
- Edith
- Nancy
- Ramona
- Lois
- Tabitha
- Winifred
Dorothy on lists
Famous Dorothys
- Dorothy Stuart Hamill
American Olympic figure skater
- Dorothy Day
American journalist and social activist
- Dorothy Parker
American poet and author
- Dorothy Thompson
American journalist and radio broadcaster
- Dorothy Jean Dandridge
American actress
- Dorothy Hackett McGuire
American actress
- Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Slaton)
American actress and singer
- Dorothy Leigh Sayers
English novelist
- Dorothy Catherine Anstett
Miss USA 1968
- Dorothy Kathleen Benham
Miss America 1977
- Dorothy Lee (born Marjorie Millsap)
American actress/comedian
- Dorothy Compton
American voice actress
- (Dorothy) Faye Dunaway
American actress
- Dorothy Elizabeth Gish
American actress
- Dorothy Kilgallen
American journalist
- Dorothy Diane "Dedee" Pfeiffer
American actress
- Dorothy Mary Hodgkin
British biochemist, winner of the Nobel Prize
- Dorothy Irene Height
American civil rights activist
- Dorothy Fields
American librettist and lyricist
- Dorothy Brower Barkley
wife of U.S. Vice President Alben W. Barkely
- Dorothy "Dodie" Clark
Youtuber
- Dorothy Wang
American TV personality on Rich Kids of Beverly Hills
- Dorothy Seven Gee (b. 2012)
from the Bucket List Family (Travel vloggers)
- Dorothy Vaughn
American NASA computer programmer featured in film "Hidden Figures"
- Rose Dorothy Dauriac (b. 2014)
daughter of actress Scarlett Johansson & Romain Dauriac
Dorothy in pop culture
- Dorothy Gale
main character in L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz".
- Dorothy Zbornak
character on TV's "Golden Girls" .
- Dorothy Boyd
character in movie "Jerry Maguire".
- Miss Dorothy
character in musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie".
- Dorothy
Elmo's pet goldfish on TV's "Sesame Street".
- Dorothy Jane Torkelson
character on TV's "The Torkelsons".
- Dorothy
character in the anime M.A.R.
- Dorothy the Dinosaur
character in Australian children's music group The Wiggles.
- Dorothy
fairy in animated TV series "Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom".
- Dorothy de Vere
character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series.
- "Friend of Dorothy
" code for a homosexual.
- Dorothy Perkins
a women’s fashion retailer based in the United Kingdom.
- Dorothy Williams
a character from the tv show Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.
- Dorothy aka Destiny
character in the 2019 film "Hustlers"