Dora

Diminutive of Theodora and Isidora, Greek

"gift"

Dora Origin and Meaning

The name Dora is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "gift".

Dora is poised for a comeback, right behind Laura, Nora, Cora, and Flora. First-time parents who haven't watched cartoons in a couple of decades should be aware of the Dora the Explorer connection, which has its pluses and minuses.

Dora became popular during the Victorian era largely via Dora Spenlow, the "child-wife of Dickens's David Copperfield. Two noted real-life bearers were Dora Maar (born Henriette), a Picasso model and muse, and Dora Carrington, a British painter who was a member of the Bloomsbury Group. The name suffered a bit of a setback from being the title of the long-running comic strip, Dumb Dora..

While Dora can stand on its own, it can also be short for Dorothea, Dorothy, or Theodora. Dory is a cute diminutive.

Dora Rank in US Top 1000

# 972 in the US

Dora Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1729 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Dora

• 1729 Nameberry 2025
• 939 Unique 2019
• 956 England 2018
• 93 Slovenia 2022
• 96 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2023
• 10 Croatia 2024

20 Names Similar to Dora

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

• Francine
• Bernice
• Pauline
• Edna
• Gladys
• Alberta
• Roberta
• Georgette
• Gretchen
• Phyllis
• Susanna
• Doris
• Joan
• Geraldine
• Dinah
• Shirley
• Norma
• Gloria
• Wilma
• Dolores

Famous People Named Dora

• Dora May Bryan English actress and comedienne
• Dora Gaitskell Baroness Gaitskell, British politician
• Dora Pejačević Croatian composer
• Dora Meeson Australian painter
• Dora Mavor Moore Canadian actress
• Dora Maar (born Henriette Theodora Markovitch) French painter and muse of Picasso
• Dora de Houghton Carrington English painter
• Dora Anastasiou Miss Cyprus 2007
• Dora Altmann German actress
• Dora Countess Russell, British feminist author; wife of philosopher Bertrand Russell
• Dora Petrova Gabe Bulgarian poet
• Theodora "Dora" Bakoyannis Greek politician
• Dorothy "Dora" Wordsworth daughter of poet William Wordsworth

The name Dora in Pop Culture

• Dora Marquez main character in animated series "Dora the Explorer"
• Dora Winifred "D.W." Reed a main character in the Arthur series
• Dora character in Charles Dickens's "David Copperfield"
• Dick and Dora main characters in a series of British primary (elementary) school reading textbooks
• 'Doomsday' Dora Petty character on animated series Sparticle Mystery
• Dora Lacey character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton; twin sister Daphne