Meaning not yet researched.
Dorothy: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 743 in 2025. Its best rank was #2 in 1927.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #2 in 1927; #421 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Dorothy in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#421 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1927, at #2.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Dorothy: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 743 girls in 2025. Peak: #2 in 1927 · most girls in one year: 39,996 (1924).
In 2025, 743 US girls were named Dorothy, making it the 421st most common girls’ name of the year, up 9 places from #430 in 2024. That is 25 more than the 718 girls named Dorothy in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #2, reached in 1927. The most girls given the name in a single year was 39,996, in 1924. For comparison, it was #714 in 2015 and #35 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Dorothy in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 112 babies with the name. In all, 1,115,908 US babies have been given the name, 99.6% of them girls and 0.3% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 369,879 babies named Dorothy.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 6,023 US girls were named Dorothy; the busiest of those years was 2025, with 743. In 2025 that was about 1 in 2,163 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Dorothy ranked highest in Alaska in 2025, at #117 for girls there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Dorothea (34,427 babies since 1880) and Dorathy (1,928 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Dea, Dorothey and Dory are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Dolly, Dora, Dortha, Dot, Dottie and Dotty.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in Dutch and English. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Dea (1,842), Dorothey (1,142), Dory (1,092), Doroteo (692), Dace (542), Dorothie (520), Dorothye (317), Dorothee (295), Dorothia (132), Dorotea (130), Dorethy (98), Dorota (49), and more.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 13 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 6 | #117 | — |
| New Hampshire | 9 | #141 | — |
| Montana | 7 | #149 | — |
| Delaware | 5 | #185 | — |
| Missouri | 29 | #213 | #696 |
| Oregon | 16 | #231 | #717 |
| Indiana | 30 | #236 | #487 |
| Utah | 19 | #241 | #574 |
| Washington | 30 | #241 | #665 |
| Maryland | 20 | #258 | #656 |
| Wisconsin | 19 | #279 | #358 |
| Pennsylvania | 36 | #306 | #758 |
| South Carolina | 16 | #315 | #435 |
| Colorado | 19 | #323 | #488 |
| Alabama | 15 | #327 | #725 |
| Iowa | 10 | #330 | #479 |
| North Carolina | 32 | #349 | #919 |
| Tennessee | 23 | #353 | #697 |
| Virginia | 22 | #361 | #633 |
| Ohio | 30 | #375 | #496 |
| Massachusetts | 15 | #381 | #584 |
| Minnesota | 14 | #382 | #488 |
| Illinois | 27 | #388 | #778 |
| Mississippi | 7 | #398 | #597 |
| Louisiana | 11 | #403 | #696 |
| Idaho | 5 | #421 | — |
| Michigan | 20 | #428 | #1,042 |
| New York | 38 | #452 | #718 |
| Georgia | 23 | #496 | #835 |
| Oklahoma | 8 | #504 | — |
| Kansas | 6 | #515 | — |
| Arizona | 13 | #526 | — |
| Arkansas | 5 | #586 | — |
| Texas | 52 | #607 | #1,041 |
| Kentucky | 6 | #678 | #656 |
| California | 44 | #703 | #791 |
| Florida | 23 | #719 | #913 |
| New Jersey | 9 | #793 | #1,091 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 743 | #421 | — | — |
| 2024 | 718 | #430 | — | — |
| 2023 | 664 | #463 | — | — |
| 2022 | 645 | #487 | — | — |
| 2021 | 649 | #483 | — | — |
| 2020 | 565 | #535 | — | — |
| 2019 | 546 | #561 | — | — |
| 2018 | 530 | #580 | — | — |
| 2017 | 507 | #590 | — | — |
| 2016 | 456 | #644 | — | — |
| 2015 | 398 | #714 | — | — |
| 2014 | 385 | #727 | — | — |
| 2013 | 335 | #806 | — | — |
| 2012 | 279 | #922 | — | — |
| 2011 | 279 | #927 | — | — |
| 2010 | 243 | #1,027 | — | — |
| 2009 | 227 | #1,117 | — | — |
| 2008 | 244 | #1,071 | — | — |
| 2007 | 263 | #1,004 | — | — |
| 2006 | 267 | #977 | — | — |
| 2005 | 237 | #1,025 | — | — |
| 2004 | 290 | #849 | — | — |
| 2003 | 292 | #835 | — | — |
| 2002 | 264 | #868 | — | — |
| 2001 | 319 | #751 | — | — |
| 2000 | 314 | #737 | — | — |
| 1999 | 335 | #679 | — | — |
| 1998 | 312 | #710 | — | — |
| 1997 | 316 | #683 | — | — |
| 1996 | 350 | #640 | — | — |
| 1995 | 377 | #597 | — | — |
| 1994 | 443 | #549 | — | — |
| 1993 | 476 | #515 | — | — |
| 1992 | 509 | #486 | — | — |
| 1991 | 497 | #486 | — | — |
| 1990 | 596 | #426 | — | — |
| 1989 | 620 | #398 | 6 | #7,239 |
| 1988 | 608 | #396 | — | — |
| 1987 | 614 | #381 | — | — |
| 1986 | 629 | #373 | — | — |
| 1985 | 719 | #332 | 5 | #6,826 |
| 1984 | 681 | #340 | — | — |
| 1983 | 759 | #305 | 6 | #5,673 |
| 1982 | 829 | #298 | — | — |
| 1981 | 788 | #307 | 5 | #6,544 |
| 1980 | 896 | #278 | — | — |
| 1979 | 890 | #272 | — | — |
| 1978 | 914 | #260 | — | — |
| 1977 | 933 | #269 | — | — |
| 1976 | 982 | #240 | — | — |
| 1975 | 976 | #250 | 5 | #5,703 |
| 1974 | 1,098 | #232 | — | — |
| 1973 | 1,175 | #215 | 7 | #4,197 |
| 1972 | 1,273 | #218 | 7 | #4,105 |
| 1971 | 1,624 | #191 | — | — |
| 1970 | 1,799 | #180 | 5 | #4,910 |
| 1969 | 1,776 | #181 | 12 | #2,576 |
| 1968 | 2,086 | #157 | 11 | #2,611 |
| 1967 | 2,314 | #148 | 12 | #2,392 |
| 1966 | 2,664 | #136 | 12 | #2,364 |
| 1965 | 2,961 | #130 | 13 | #2,294 |
| 1964 | 3,533 | #118 | 12 | #2,450 |
| 1963 | 3,796 | #116 | 10 | #2,723 |
| 1962 | 4,073 | #111 | 16 | #2,059 |
| 1961 | 4,732 | #99 | 13 | #2,351 |
| 1960 | 5,076 | #95 | 21 | #1,783 |
| 1959 | 5,231 | #94 | 14 | #2,225 |
| 1958 | 5,539 | #86 | 20 | #1,783 |
| 1957 | 6,405 | #74 | 27 | #1,519 |
| 1956 | 6,858 | #72 | 22 | #1,689 |
| 1955 | 7,242 | #64 | 30 | #1,404 |
| 1954 | 7,789 | #55 | 22 | #1,641 |
| 1953 | 8,162 | #49 | 19 | #1,780 |
| 1952 | 8,609 | #46 | 25 | #1,525 |
| 1951 | 9,089 | #42 | 30 | #1,353 |
| 1950 | 9,551 | #35 | 28 | #1,374 |
| 1949 | 10,410 | #32 | 27 | #1,414 |
| 1948 | 11,324 | #29 | 24 | #1,499 |
| 1947 | 12,753 | #26 | 32 | #1,304 |
| 1946 | 12,797 | #23 | 42 | #1,062 |
| 1945 | 12,323 | #21 | 52 | #864 |
| 1944 | 13,379 | #19 | 47 | #938 |
| 1943 | 14,793 | #19 | 66 | #808 |
| 1942 | 15,037 | #17 | 62 | #824 |
| 1941 | 14,566 | #14 | 72 | #731 |
| 1940 | 14,875 | #12 | 85 | #656 |
| 1939 | 15,169 | #9 | 73 | #695 |
| 1938 | 16,358 | #8 | 99 | #594 |
| 1937 | 16,572 | #8 | 73 | #701 |
| 1936 | 17,666 | #6 | 101 | #574 |
| 1935 | 19,406 | #6 | 121 | #525 |
| 1934 | 21,281 | #5 | 116 | #550 |
| 1933 | 22,054 | #4 | 117 | #524 |
| 1932 | 24,974 | #4 | 112 | #558 |
| 1931 | 26,524 | #3 | 141 | #479 |
| 1930 | 30,411 | #3 | 153 | #480 |
| 1929 | 31,476 | #3 | 118 | #538 |
| 1928 | 33,733 | #3 | 122 | #552 |
| 1927 | 35,993 | #2 | 124 | #553 |
| 1926 | 36,618 | #2 | 119 | #564 |
| 1925 | 38,570 | #2 | 99 | #639 |
| 1924 | 39,996 | #2 | 101 | #639 |
| 1923 | 39,043 | #2 | 92 | #668 |
| 1922 | 37,716 | #2 | 66 | #843 |
| 1921 | 39,087 | #2 | 87 | #694 |
| 1920 | 36,643 | #2 | 76 | #756 |
| 1919 | 31,733 | #3 | 66 | #802 |
| 1918 | 32,030 | #3 | 59 | #860 |
| 1917 | 28,852 | #3 | 60 | #824 |
| 1916 | 27,418 | #3 | 72 | #703 |
| 1915 | 25,154 | #3 | 44 | #943 |
| 1914 | 18,782 | #3 | 40 | #858 |
| 1913 | 14,674 | #3 | 43 | #700 |
| 1912 | 12,645 | #3 | 42 | #651 |
| 1911 | 8,869 | #4 | 31 | #535 |
| 1910 | 7,318 | #4 | 24 | #585 |
| 1909 | 6,253 | #5 | 26 | #507 |
| 1908 | 5,703 | #6 | 19 | #596 |
| 1907 | 4,967 | #6 | 21 | #517 |
| 1906 | 4,326 | #6 | 20 | #508 |
| 1905 | 3,937 | #7 | 11 | #756 |
| 1904 | 3,477 | #10 | 17 | #544 |
| 1903 | 3,078 | #11 | 7 | #932 |
| 1902 | 2,707 | #15 | 7 | #954 |
| 1901 | 2,173 | #22 | — | — |
| 1900 | 2,491 | #27 | 8 | #984 |
| 1899 | 1,687 | #35 | 8 | #801 |
| 1898 | 1,671 | #43 | — | — |
| 1897 | 1,472 | #43 | 6 | #973 |
| 1896 | 1,366 | #46 | — | — |
| 1895 | 1,127 | #57 | 5 | #1,121 |
| 1894 | 1,052 | #58 | 7 | #885 |
| 1893 | 821 | #68 | — | — |
| 1892 | 626 | #79 | — | — |
| 1891 | 566 | #76 | — | — |
| 1890 | 458 | #93 | — | — |
| 1889 | 377 | #102 | — | — |
| 1888 | 373 | #103 | — | — |
| 1887 | 272 | #112 | — | — |
| 1886 | 230 | #122 | — | — |
| 1885 | 196 | #128 | — | — |
| 1884 | 163 | #137 | — | — |
| 1883 | 141 | #137 | — | — |
| 1882 | 115 | #150 | — | — |
| 1881 | 109 | #144 | — | — |
| 1880 | 112 | #139 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).