🔥Dorothea

Greek

"gift of God"

Dorothea Origin and Meaning

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

Dorothea is a romantic Victorian-sounding name that blends elegance, gravitas and a hint of clunkiness too. Popular in the early decades of the twentieth century, it has been off the charts since 1970, however it's definitely on the brink of a revival! In fact, it has already been making its way back into the UK Top 1000, and a recent year saw it given to 90 girls in the US — three times the number it was given to a decade prior.

A relative of Dorothy, Theodore, and Theodora, Dorothea is comprised of the same Greek elements, doron and theos, meaning "gift" and "god". It has has a long literary history, including as a clever and beautiful character in Don Quixote and the intelligent and generous heroine of George Eliot's Middlemarch.

Worthy namesakes include Dorothea Dix, nineteenth century activist for the mentally ill and Civil War nurse, and the influential documentary photographer Dorothea Lange, known for her moving portraits taken during the Great Depression. It is also a saint name, borne by Dorothea of Alexandria, Dorothea of Caesarea (the patron saint of florists), and Dorothea of Montau (saint and visionary).

Appealing nickname possibilities include Dorrie, Dolly, Doro, Dodie, Dot, Dottie and Thea, while international variants include the Spanish Dorotea, the Czech and Polish Dorota, and the Hungarian Dorina.

In English, the name would likely be pronounced as dawr-uh-THEE-uh, while in German, it is said as do-ro-TEH-a

Dorothea Rank in US Top 1000

# 973 in the US

Dorothea Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 611 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Dorothea

• 611 Nameberry 2025
• 815 England 2024

20 Names Similar to Dorothea

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

• Wilhelmina
• Agatha
• Agnes
• Philippa
• Henrietta
• Augusta
• Theodora
• Sybil
• Alma
• Constance
• Tabitha
• Ramona
• Ingrid
• Winifred
• Esther
• Millicent
• Bernadette
• Edith
• Rosamund
• Miriam

Famous People Named Dorothea

• Dorothea of Bulgaria Queen consort of Tvrtko I of Bosnia
• Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg, Queen consort of Christopher III and Christian I of Denmark and Norway
• Dorothea of Brandenburg Queen consort of Christian III of Denmark and Sweden
• Dorothea Margaretta Lange American photojournalist
• Dorothea Lynde Dix American mental health activist
• Dorothea Roschmann German soprano
• Dorothea Katherine Douglass Lambert Chambers English tennis player
• Dorothea Wolbert American actress
• Dorothea Margaret Tanning American painter
• Dorothea Jordan Anglo,Irish actress and mistress of King William IV of England
• Dorothea Princess of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick,Luneburg
• Dorothea Maria of Anhalt Duchess of Saxe,Weimar
• Dorothea Wierer Italian biathlete
• Dorothea Primrose Campbell Scottish poet
• Dorothea Mackellar Australian poet
• Dorothea Church American model
• Dorothea Sophia Princess of Schleswig,Holstein,Sonderburg,Glücksburg, Electress of Brandenburg
• Dorothea Lasky American poet

The name Dorothea in Pop Culture

• Dorothea character in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
• Dorothea Brooke character in "Middlemarch" by George Eliot
• Dorothea Garibaldi character in The Cheetah Girls series
• Dorothea Arnult character in Fire Emblem Three Houses video game
• dorothea song by Taylor Swift

International Variations of the name Dorothea

• Dosya Russian
• Tea Norwegian
• Dortea Norwegian
• Dorottya Hungarian
• Dorothée French
• Doortje Dutch
• Doroteya Russian
• Dosia Czech
• Dorete Danish
• Dorte Danish
• Díorbhail Scottish Gaelic
• Dorthe Danish
• Dorota Czech
• Dorika Hungarian
• Dorotea Italian