Dorothea is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Dorothea means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Dorothea across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Dorothea has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Dorothea is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “gift of God”. From Greek doron and theos, related to Dorothy.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 34,427 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 444 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 6 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 14 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Dorothea per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1920 (1,110/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (46/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2025 (6/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1982 (5/yr).
Dorothea has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1920, when it ranked #328 nationally (given to 1,110 babies that year).
Dorothy · Dorthy · Dortha · Dorotha · Doretha · Dorathy · Dorthea · Dorthey
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