# Dorothea (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/dorothea/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | Dorrie |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 34,427 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 6 / 34,421 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 484, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

See Dorothy.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 16 | 7,526 |
| 2012 | 19 | 6,676 |
| 2013 | 26 | 5,182 |
| 2014 | 28 | 4,931 |
| 2015 | 38 | 3,936 |
| 2016 | 44 | 3,539 |
| 2017 | 45 | 3,449 |
| 2018 | 60 | 2,819 |
| 2019 | 48 | 3,293 |
| 2020 | 59 | 2,790 |
| 2021 | 74 | 2,424 |
| 2022 | 63 | 2,729 |
| 2023 | 62 | 2,764 |
| 2024 | 93 | 2,073 |
| 2025 | 113 | 1,782 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 6 | 3,635 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 8 | 2,893 |
| 2012 | 16 | 1,809 |
| 2013 | 17 | 1,707 |
| 2014 | 13 | 2,058 |
| 2015 | 16 | 1,783 |
| 2016 | 19 | 1,635 |
| 2017 | 28 | 1,219 |
| 2018 | 29 | 1,170 |
| 2019 | 36 | 980 |
| 2020 | 31 | 1,065 |
| 2021 | 40 | 884 |
| 2022 | 41 | 857 |
| 2023 | 32 | 1,056 |
| 2024 | 46 | 811 |
| 2025 | 40 | 872 |

## People named Dorothea

- Dorothea Lange, American photojournalist (1895-1965)
- Dorothea Dix, American author and social reformer (1802–1887)
- Dorothea Douglass, English tennis and badminton player (1878–1960)
- Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg, Duchess of Parma (1670-1748)
- Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria (1797–1855)
- Dorothea of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duchess consort of Brunswick-Lüneburg
- Dorothea Klumpke, American astronomer (1861-1942)
- Dorothea of Denmark, duchess of Prussia (1504-1547)
- Dorothea of Denmark, Electress Palatine, Electress Palatine (1520-1580)
- Dorothea of Bulgaria, Banness consort and first Queen consort of Bosnia
- Princess Luise Dorothea of Prussia, daughter of Frederick I of Prussia and Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel
- Dorothea von Schlegel, German novelist and translator

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.