🔥Dorothy

English variation of Greek Dorothea

"gift of God"

Dorothy Origin and Meaning

The name Dorothy is a girl's name of English, Greek origin meaning "gift of God".

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.

Dorothy Rank in US Top 1000

# 431 in the US

Dorothy Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 394 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Dorothy

• 431 US 2024
• 394 Nameberry 2025
• 314 Future 2028
• 199 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Dorothy

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Dorothy.

• Ruth
• Frances
• Martha
• Harriet
• Agnes
• Henrietta
• Betty
• Louise
• Virginia
• Susannah
• Philippa
• Helen
• Ramona
• Edith
• Bernadette
• Lois
• Greta
• Tabitha
• Winifred
• Bonnie

Famous People Named Dorothy

• 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

The name 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"