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The first name Dore

A boy’s name from French meaning “kind of bumblebee”, “descendant of doghar”, “sadness”.

1 syllable Male Also a surname

Meaning and origin

French origin

Dore means “kind of bumblebee”, “descendant of doghar”, “sadness” in French.

* As an English surname, from the noun dore (“kind of bumblebee”). * Also as an English surname, from the placename Dorr in Derbyshire or Herefordshire; see Dorr. Sometimes influenced or directly from the noun door. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Doghair (“descendant of Doghar”), a byname meaning "sadness" (compare dubhghrá, from dubh + grá). * As a French surname, from Old French doré (“golden”). Compare Dorais. * As a Hungarian surname, from the adjective dőre (“stupid, useless”).

More names that mean gold.

Dore is a short form of

.

From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Popularity in the United States

Babies named Dore at birth, 1880–2025

In 1996, 5 boys born in the United States were named Dore, the 9,392nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1957, when 12 were.

01020 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
GirlsBoys
218
babies named Dore since 1880
#9,392
rank in 1996
1957
peak year

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

Famous people named Dore

3 on Wikidata, most written-about first

  • Dore Gold
    American-Israeli political scientist and diplomat ( 1953-2025)
  • Dore Ashton
    Art critic (1928–2017)
  • Dore Hoyer
    German expressionist dancer (1911-1967)

More French boys’ names

Questions

What does the name Dore mean?
Dore means “kind of bumblebee”, “descendant of doghar”, “sadness” in French.
What is the origin of the name Dore?
* As an English surname, from the noun dore (“kind of bumblebee”). * Also as an English surname, from the placename Dorr in Derbyshire or Herefordshire; see Dorr. Sometimes influenced or directly from the noun door. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Doghair (“descendant of Doghar”), a byname meaning…
Is Dore a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. Of the 218 US babies named Dore since 1880, 91% were girls and 9% boys.
When was Dore most popular?
1957 in the United States, when 12 babies were named Dore, its highest rank at 3,527th.
Is Dore also a surname?
Yes. Dore is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.