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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201902peak #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 1902

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

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 1902

girls
#15
2,707 births · 1 in 98 girls
boys
#933
7 births · 1 in 17,523 boys

Top girls' names in 1902

  1. #1Mary14,486
  2. #2Helen5,967
  3. #3Anna5,288
  4. #4Margaret5,011
  5. #5Ruth4,384
  6. #6Elizabeth3,694
  7. #7Florence3,509
  8. #8Marie3,424
  9. #9Ethel3,295
  10. #10Alice3,135
  11. #15Dorothy2,707

Top boys' names in 1902

  1. #1John7,907
  2. #2William6,617
  3. #3James5,592
  4. #4George4,223
  5. #5Charles3,361
  6. #6Robert3,180
  7. #7Joseph3,098
  8. #8Frank2,756
  9. #9Edward2,294
  10. #10Henry2,154
  11. #933Dorothy7
More about 1902

girls

264,073 girls got a published name in 1902; 1 in 98 of them was named Dorothy, which outranked 99.3% of the 2,042 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 19.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dorothy
  1. #12Gladys2,809
  2. #13Edna2,754
  3. #14Mildred2,750
  4. #15Dorothy2,707
  5. #16Annie2,664
  6. #17Grace2,642
  7. #18Emma2,514
Biggest movers since 1901
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,031Lolita#1,679 → #648
  2. ↑ 861Cathleen#1,679 → #818
  3. ↑ 743Maple#1,679 → #936
  4. ↑ 743Margarite#1,679 → #936
  5. ↑ 707Mignon#1,679 → #972
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,046Veva#747 → #1,793
  2. ↓ 847Janette#747 → #1,594
  3. ↓ 832Laurine#961 → #1,793
  4. ↓ 676Aura#918 → #1,594
  5. ↓ 667Electa#771 → #1,438

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

boys

122,660 boys got a published name in 1902; 1 in 17,523 of them was named Dorothy, which outranked 29.3% of the 1,320 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dorothy
  1. #862Wilhelm8
  2. #862Willam8
  3. #862Zeb8
  4. #933Dorothy7
  5. #933Alfonzo7
  6. #933Alonza7
  7. #933Arden7
  8. #1,013Alcide6
  9. #1,013Alejandro6
  10. #1,013Arlington6

Tied with 79 names at #933; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1901
Risers
  1. ↑ 551Judge#1,058 → #507
  2. ↑ 522Ottis#1,058 → #536
  3. ↑ 502Lonzo#1,058 → #556
  4. ↑ 475Eldred#1,058 → #583
  5. ↑ 468Rogers#943 → #475
Fallers
  1. ↓ 541Carmen#596 → #1,137
  2. ↓ 541Alf#596 → #1,137
  3. ↓ 541Orrin#596 → #1,137
  4. ↓ 528Davis#334 → #862
  5. ↓ 500Guadalupe#433 → #933

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

See the top 100 for 1902 →