embrisa.
embrisa.
Theme
Feminine

Dorothy

/ˈdɔːr.ə.θi/

Gift of God

Greek

How to say it

DOR · o · thy

/ˈdɔːr.ə.θi/

What it means

From the Greek Dorothea, doron ('gift') plus theos ('God'), so 'gift of God.'

Dorothy comes from the Greek Dorothea, 'gift of God,' the same two elements as Theodora, just reversed. It was a top-tier name in the early 1900s and is forever tied to Dorothy Gale, who clicked her ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz, and to the razor-witted Dorothy Parker. It is riding the vintage revival back, soft and warm. Dot, Dottie, and Dolly are the shorts.

Popularity over time

#10 #100 #1000 #1 #111718802025

peaked at #2 in 1920, currently #421 in 2025.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving

Heads-up notes

  • Nickname

    Dot, Dottie, and Dolly all come from it.

  • Pop culture

    Dorothy Gale of The Wizard of Oz; the writer Dorothy Parker.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

  • Dorothy Gale the heroine of The Wizard of Oz
  • Dorothy Parker American writer famed for her wit

Spelling variants

  • Dorothea
  • Dorothee
  • Dorotea