Dorothy

#421 for girls in 2025, 743 births · Last seen for boys in 1989 at #6,941
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1924 · 39,996 births
Debut · girls
112 births
In top 100 · girls
72 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
1,112,231
since 1880

Dorothy over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201956peak #2, 1924girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#421743—
2024#429718—
2023#463664—
2022#486645—
2021#483649—
2020#535565—
2019#561546—
2018#580530—
2017#590507—
2016#644456—
2015#714398—
2014#727385—
2013#806335—
2012#922279—
2011#927279—
2010#1,027243—
2009#1,116227—
2008#1,070244—
2007#1,003263—
2006#976267—
2005#1,025237—
2004#848290—
2003#835292—
2002#867264—
2001#750319—
2000#736314—
1999#678335—
1998#710312—
1997#682316—
1996#640350—
1995#597377—
1994#549443—
1993#515476—
1992#486509—
1991#486497—
1990#426596—
1989#398620#6,9416
1988#396608—
1987#381614—
1986#373629—
1985#332719#6,5235
1984#340681—
1983#305759#5,4846
1982#298829—
1981#307788#6,2625
1980#278896—
1979#272890—
1978#260914—
1977#269933—
1976#240982—
1975#250976#5,4645
1974#2321,098—
1973#2151,175#4,0547
1972#2181,273#3,9637
1971#1911,624—
1970#1801,799#4,7245
1969#1811,776#2,54912
1968#1572,086#2,57611
1967#1482,314#2,35212
1966#1362,664#2,32712
1965#1302,961#2,27013
1964#1183,533#2,40912
1963#1163,796#2,67310
1962#1114,073#2,03516
1961#994,732#2,32213
1960#955,076#1,77221
1959#945,231#2,20014
1958#865,539#1,76620
1957#746,405#1,51127
1956#726,858#1,67622
1955#647,242#1,39630
1954#557,789#1,62822
1953#498,162#1,76519
1952#468,609#1,51725
1951#429,089#1,34430
1950#359,551#1,36428
1949#3210,410#1,40927
1948#2911,324#1,48724
1947#2612,753#1,29732
1946#2312,797#1,06042
1945#2112,323#86452
1944#1913,379#93547
1943#1914,793#80866
1942#1715,037#82162
1941#1414,566#72972
1940#1214,875#65385
1939#915,169#69573
1938#816,358#59099
1937#816,572#70073
1936#617,666#573101
1935#619,406#525121
1934#521,281#549116
1933#422,054#524117
1932#424,974#558112
1931#326,524#478141
1930#330,411#480153
1929#331,476#536118
1928#333,733#552122
1927#235,993#553124
1926#236,618#563119
1925#238,570#63999
1924#239,996#638101
1923#239,043#66892
1922#237,716#84066
1921#239,087#69287
1920#236,643#75476
1919#331,733#79966
1918#332,030#85559
1917#328,852#82260
1916#327,418#69872
1915#325,154#94144
1914#318,782#85540
1913#314,674#69643
1912#312,645#64942
1911#48,869#53331
1910#47,318#58224
1909#56,253#50526
1908#65,703#58519
1907#64,967#51121
1906#64,326#50320
1905#73,937#74111
1904#103,477#53817
1903#113,078#9107
1902#152,707#9337
1901#222,173—
1900#272,491#9688
1899#351,687#7868
1898#431,671—
1897#431,472#9426
1896#461,366—
1895#571,127#1,0795
1894#581,052#8577
1893#68821—
1892#79626—
1891#76566—
1890#93458—
1889#102377—
1888#103373—
1887#111272—
1886#122230—
1885#128196—
1884#137163—
1883#137141—
1882#150115—
1881#144109—
1880#139112—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Dorothy was already there! It came in at #139, and was given to 112 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1884, when fewer than 170 girls a year got the name.

Where Dorothy is popular in 1956

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #81 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 270 girlsAKMaine: #53 for girls · 48 births · 1 in 202 girlsMEVermont: #108 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 434 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #88 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 315 girlsNHWashington: #96 for girls · 71 births · 1 in 403 girlsWAIdaho: #99 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 369 girlsIDMontana: #124 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 490 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #94 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 396 girlsNDMinnesota: #130 for girls · 62 births · 1 in 598 girlsMNIllinois: #79 for girls · 327 births · 1 in 321 girlsILWisconsin: #133 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 656 girlsWIMichigan: #98 for girls · 224 births · 1 in 420 girlsMINew York: #81 for girls · 486 births · 1 in 339 girlsNYMassachusetts: #58 for girls · 185 births · 1 in 280 girlsMARhode Island: #57 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 247 girlsRIOregon: #137 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 597 girlsORNevada: #96 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 298 girlsNVWyoming: #69 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 244 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #107 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 415 girlsSDIowa: #148 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 725 girlsIAIndiana: #100 for girls · 117 births · 1 in 432 girlsINOhio: #96 for girls · 265 births · 1 in 405 girlsOHPennsylvania: #56 for girls · 436 births · 1 in 266 girlsPANew Jersey: #58 for girls · 223 births · 1 in 247 girlsNJConnecticut: #115 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 548 girlsCTCalifornia: #96 for girls · 394 births · 1 in 397 girlsCAUtah: #145 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 585 girlsUTColorado: #84 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 341 girlsCONebraska: #94 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 425 girlsNEMissouri: #74 for girls · 149 births · 1 in 301 girlsMOKentucky: #84 for girls · 93 births · 1 in 361 girlsKYWest Virginia: #83 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 376 girlsWVVirginia: #52 for girls · 195 births · 1 in 212 girlsVAMaryland: #46 for girls · 135 births · 1 in 218 girlsMDDelaware: #55 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 223 girlsDEArizona: #66 for girls · 50 births · 1 in 258 girlsAZNew Mexico: #39 for girls · 67 births · 1 in 164 girlsNMKansas: #108 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 479 girlsKSArkansas: #29 for girls · 149 births · 1 in 127 girlsARTennessee: #45 for girls · 210 births · 1 in 183 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #44 for girls · 267 births · 1 in 194 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #31 for girls · 223 births · 1 in 130 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #65 for girls · 51 births · 1 in 265 girlsDCOklahoma: #107 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 495 girlsOKLouisiana: #46 for girls · 205 births · 1 in 192 girlsLAMississippi: #9 for girls · 428 births · 1 in 63 girlsMSAlabama: #24 for girls · 301 births · 1 in 122 girlsALGeorgia: #32 for girls · 333 births · 1 in 140 girlsGAHawaii: #134 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 449 girlsHITexas: #81 for girls · 311 births · 1 in 369 girlsTXFlorida: #38 for girls · 241 births · 1 in 178 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Mississippi#9 · 1 in 63
  2. Alabama#24 · 1 in 122
  3. Arkansas#29 · 1 in 127
  4. South Carolina#31 · 1 in 130
  5. Georgia#32 · 1 in 140

Best ever in a state: #1 in Oregon, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Mississippi#94281 in 63
Alabama#243011 in 122
Arkansas#291491 in 127
South Carolina#312231 in 130
Georgia#323331 in 140
Florida#382411 in 178
New Mexico#39671 in 164
North Carolina#442671 in 194
Tennessee#452101 in 183
Louisiana#462051 in 192
Maryland#461351 in 218
Virginia#521951 in 212
Maine#53481 in 202
Delaware#55201 in 223
Pennsylvania#564361 in 266
Rhode Island#57341 in 247
Massachusetts#581851 in 280
New Jersey#582231 in 247
District of Columbia#65511 in 265
Arizona#66501 in 258
Wyoming#69121 in 244
Missouri#741491 in 301
Illinois#793271 in 321
Alaska#81101 in 270
New York#814861 in 339
Texas#813111 in 369
West Virginia#83531 in 376
Colorado#84551 in 341
Kentucky#84931 in 361
New Hampshire#88171 in 315
Nebraska#94341 in 425
North Dakota#94171 in 396
California#963941 in 397
Nevada#9671 in 298
Ohio#962651 in 405
Washington#96711 in 403
Michigan#982241 in 420
Idaho#99171 in 369
Indiana#1001171 in 432
Oklahoma#107451 in 495
South Dakota#107181 in 415
Kansas#108461 in 479
Vermont#10881 in 434
Connecticut#115431 in 548
Montana#124141 in 490
Minnesota#130621 in 598
Wisconsin#133641 in 656
Hawaii#134141 in 449
Oregon#137271 in 597
Utah#145181 in 585
Iowa#148391 in 725

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Dorothy
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 8 spots since 2024 (#429 → #421)
  • 114 spots since 2020 (#535 → #421)
  • 293 spots since 2015 (#714 → #421)
  • Biggest jump: 116 spots in 2013 (#922 → #806)
  • Biggest drop: 177 spots in 2005 (#848 → #1,025)
Rise & fade · girls
44 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1924 at #2 (39,996 births)
  • Births halved by 1935, 11 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 36 yrs
  • Top 10: 36 yrs · run 1904–1939
  • Top 100: 72 yrs · run 1890–1961
  • Top 1,000: 141 yrs · run 1880–2004
Share of babies · girls
1 in 31
  • Highest: 1 in 31 girls born in 1923 were named Dorothy (3.2%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,163 girls born in 2025 (0.05%)
  • Its best rank, #2 in 1924, was only 1 in 31 (3.2%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 33.2% of all girls named Dorothy (368,875) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s2,088#102 (1889)#127
1890s10,846#35 (1899)#60
1900s39,112#5 (1909)#12
1910s207,475#3 (1918)#3
1920s368,875#2 (1924)#2
1930s210,415#3 (1930)#6
1940s132,257#12 (1940)#21
1950s74,475#35 (1950)#62
1960s33,011#95 (1960)#129
1970s11,664#180 (1970)#233
1980s7,143#278 (1980)#341
1990s4,211#426 (1990)#577
2000s2,717#736 (2000)#923
2010s3,958#561 (2019)#750
2020s3,984#421 (2025)#470

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Dorothy in 1956

girls
#72
6,858 births · 1 in 293 girls
boys
#1,676
22 births · 1 in 96,150 boys

Top girls' names in 1956

  1. #1Mary61,741
  2. #2Debra48,324
  3. #3Linda48,084
  4. #4Deborah47,834
  5. #5Susan46,558
  6. #6Patricia43,329
  7. #7Karen40,052
  8. #8Cynthia32,339
  9. #9Barbara32,302
  10. #10Donna29,852
  11. #72Dorothy6,858

Top boys' names in 1956

  1. #1Michael90,691
  2. #2James84,897
  3. #3Robert83,924
  4. #4David81,652
  5. #5John80,804
  6. #6William58,991
  7. #7Richard52,915
  8. #8Mark48,828
  9. #9Thomas44,836
  10. #10Steven38,413
  11. #1,676Dorothy22
More about 1956

girls

2,007,703 girls got a published name in 1956; 1 in 293 of them was named Dorothy, which outranked 99.0% of the 6,891 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dorothy
  1. #69Jo6,953
  2. #70Marilyn6,926
  3. #71Darlene6,919
  4. #72Dorothy6,858
  5. #73Maria6,733
  6. #74Kimberly6,730
  7. #75Virginia6,392
Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. ↑ 993Sheena#1,839 → #846
  2. ↑ 770Glendora#1,733 → #963
  3. ↑ 684Leesa#1,209 → #525
  4. ↑ 543Marisa#1,074 → #531
  5. ↑ 537Dani#1,383 → #846
Fallers
  1. ↓ 513Sheilah#663 → #1,176
  2. ↓ 481Jeryl#768 → #1,249
  3. ↓ 344Jacalyn#496 → #840
  4. ↓ 325Roni#536 → #861
  5. ↓ 314Florine#984 → #1,298

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,115,302 boys got a published name in 1956; 1 in 96,150 of them was named Dorothy, which outranked 62.4% of the 4,455 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dorothy
  1. #1,642Randol23
  2. #1,642Trey23
  3. #1,642Vann23
  4. #1,676Dorothy22
  5. #1,676Adlai22
  6. #1,676Arron22
  7. #1,676Augie22
  8. #1,722Allison21
  9. #1,722Alvah21
  10. #1,722Arlo21

Tied with 45 names at #1,676; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,847Jace#2,764 → #917
  2. ↑ 678Rich#1,572 → #894
  3. ↑ 590Broderick#1,273 → #683
  4. ↑ 559Elvis#921 → #362
  5. ↑ 513Tracey#1,419 → #906
Fallers
  1. ↓ 351Adolphus#906 → #1,257
  2. ↓ 336Randolf#949 → #1,285
  3. ↓ 279Cordell#792 → #1,071
  4. ↓ 272Rudolfo#885 → #1,157
  5. ↓ 269Aurelio#949 → #1,218

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1956 →