Dorothea
Girl name · #1778 in 2025 · Uniqueness 40/100
Dorothea is currently the #1778 girl name in the United States — 113 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #3915, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 15,929 girls born in 2025 was named Dorothea.
The 145-year story
Dorothea first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 16 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1920, when 1,110 girls were named Dorothea — good for #187 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Dorothea per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Dorothea against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Dorothea in class?
Dorothea scores 40 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Dorothea is most common
Geography matters for names, and Dorothea is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Dorotheas were CA (9), GA (8), PA (8), TX (7), NY (6). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Dorothea
Statistically, parents drawn to Dorothea tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Cornelia, Henrietta, Marietta, Dora, and Mildred.
CorneliaHenriettaMariettaDoraMildredElviraMarcellaDolly
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Dorothea | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 113 | #1777 |
| 2024 | 93 | #2067 |
| 2023 | 62 | #2757 |
| 2022 | 63 | #2720 |
| 2021 | 74 | #2416 |
| 2020 | 59 | #2779 |
| 2019 | 48 | #3272 |
| 2018 | 60 | #2810 |
| 2017 | 45 | #3436 |
| 2016 | 44 | #3523 |
| 2015 | 38 | #3915 |
| 2014 | 28 | #4892 |
| 2013 | 26 | #5143 |
| 2012 | 19 | #6576 |
| 2011 | 16 | #7436 |
| 2010 | 21 | #6182 |
| 2009 | 21 | #6317 |
| 2008 | 23 | #5955 |
| 2007 | 15 | #8098 |
| 2006 | 20 | #6356 |
| 2005 | 14 | #7891 |
| 2004 | 22 | #5555 |
| 2003 | 26 | #4804 |
| 2002 | 33 | #3889 |
| 2001 | 18 | #6067 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Dorothea a popular girl name?
Dorothea ranked #1778 among girls in 2025 with 113 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3915.
When was the name Dorothea most popular?
Dorothea peaked in 1920, when 1,110 American girls received the name (ranked #187 that year). Since 1920 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Dorothea?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 15,929 newborn American girls was named Dorothea. It scores 40/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.