Dorothea
Girl nameDorothea has been given to 34,427 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1920. In 2025, about 1 in 14,224 girls was named Dorothea.
Meaning & origin
See Dorothy.
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
34,427
Peak year
1920 (1,110 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▲ +197%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Rank through the decades
Dorothea's rank among U.S. girl names at 25-year milestones.
| Year | Girls rank |
|---|---|
| 1900 | #274 |
| 1925 | #215 |
| 1950 | #463 |
— means outside the top 1000 that year.
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Dorothea — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Dorothea
Dorothea Lange
American photojournalist (1895-1965)
Dolores Umbridge
Harry Potter character
Dorothea Wierer
Italian biathlete and military athlete
Dorothea Christiane Erxleben
Physician (1715–1762)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Dorothea.
Sibling name ideas for Dorothea
Same era and popularity as Dorothea, avoiding matching initials or rhymes.
FAQ
How popular is the name Dorothea?
Dorothea has been given to 34,427 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Dorothea peak?
Dorothea peaked in 1920, when 1,110 babies were given the name.
Is Dorothea a girl or boy name?
Dorothea is primarily a girl name (100% of babies named Dorothea are girls).
Get new name insights first
Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.