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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201965peak #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.

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 1965

girls
#130
2,961 births · 1 in 596 girls
boys
#2,270
13 births · 1 in 143,088 boys

Top girls' names in 1965

  1. #1Lisa60,271
  2. #2Mary34,270
  3. #3Karen32,869
  4. #4Kimberly28,836
  5. #5Susan26,321
  6. #6Patricia23,552
  7. #7Donna19,700
  8. #8Linda19,345
  9. #9Cynthia19,239
  10. #10Angela18,754
  11. #130Dorothy2,961

Top boys' names in 1965

  1. #1Michael80,992
  2. #2John71,493
  3. #3David67,825
  4. #4James67,666
  5. #5Robert63,106
  6. #6William40,111
  7. #7Mark38,244
  8. #8Richard36,817
  9. #9Thomas31,595
  10. #10Jeffrey29,574
  11. #2,270Dorothy13
More about 1965

girls

1,765,164 girls got a published name in 1965; 1 in 596 of them was named Dorothy, which outranked 98.3% of the 7,535 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dorothy
  1. #127Jodi3,054
  2. #128Allison3,044
  3. #129Tonya2,968
  4. #130Dorothy2,961
  5. #131Sylvia2,960
  6. #132Yvonne2,954
  7. #133Rose2,865
Biggest movers since 1964
Risers
  1. 723Marni#1,610#887
  2. 654Dionne#1,281#627
  3. 432Marnie#1,016#584
  4. 426Keli#1,383#957
  5. 368Gia#1,334#966
Fallers
  1. 1,326Djuna#738#2,064
  2. 470Djuana#756#1,226
  3. 383Shirl#714#1,097
  4. 297Beverley#955#1,252
  5. 275Dottie#912#1,187

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

boys

1,860,143 boys got a published name in 1965; 1 in 143,088 of them was named Dorothy, which outranked 48.7% of the 4,425 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dorothy
  1. #2,178Washington14
  2. #2,178Welton14
  3. #2,178Winton14
  4. #2,270Dorothy13
  5. #2,270Adrien13
  6. #2,270Alen13
  7. #2,270Alfonse13
  8. #2,366Alphonza12
  9. #2,366Amir12
  10. #2,366Andree12

Tied with 95 names at #2,270; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1964
Risers
  1. 785Trace#1,655#870
  2. 729Darran#1,729#1,000
  3. 655Daryn#1,371#716
  4. 648Darian#1,545#897
  5. 512Darryn#1,327#815
Fallers
  1. 1,557Jaimie#809#2,366
  2. 443Tammy#875#1,318
  3. 406Destry#637#1,043
  4. 318Dewitt#936#1,254
  5. 303Cassius#860#1,163

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

See the top 100 for 1965