Dorothy (given name)

Updated on Dec 02, 2023

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Gender Female Meaning Gift of God		Word/name Greek

Related names Theodore, Dottie, Theodora, Dace, Dot, Doreen, Dorothea, Dorothie, Dorothi, Dorothée (French)

Dorothy is a female given name. It comes from Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa) meaning "God's Gift", from δῶρον (dōron), "gift" + θεός (theós), "god". Although much less common, there are also male equivalents in English such as "Dorie" from the Greek masculine Δωρόθεος (Dōrótheos). Also, the given names Theodore and Theodora are derived from the same two Greek root words as Dorothy, albeit reversed in order. The name is variously abbreviated to "Dot", "Dotty" and "Doll".

Dorothy was a less common variant of Dorothea, until it became one of the top 10 most popular girl's names in the United States between 1904 and 1940. The name remained among the top 100 most popular names for American girls until 1961. It then declined in popularity and was last ranked among the top 1,000 most popular names for American newborn girls in 2006, when it was ranked in 986th position. There were 235 newborn American girls given the name in 2010. Just 20 American girls were given the variant name Dorothea in 2010.

Notable bearers

Dorothy Allison, American writer

Dorothy Arnold, American socialite who disappeared mysteriously

Dorothy Appleby, American actress

Dorothy Bernard, American actress

Dorothy Christy, American actress

Dorothy Coburn, American actress

Dorothy Dalton, American actress

Dorothy Dandridge, American actress

Dorothy Davenport, American actress

Dorothy Day, American journalist, social activist, and devout Catholic convert

Dorothy Dell, American actress

Dorothy Devore, American actress

Dorothy Dunbar, American actress

Dorothy Dwan, American actress

D. C. Fontana (Dorothy Catherine Fontana, born 1939), screenplay writer

Dorothy Garlock, American author

Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist

Dorothy Gibson, American actress

Dorothy Gish, American actress

Dorothy Gulliver, American actress

Dorothy Hamill, American figure skater

Dorothy Hodgkin, British biochemist and winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Dorothy Janis, American actress

Dorothy Kelly, American actress

Dorothy Kilgallen,American journalist and television game show panelist.

Dorothy Bush Koch, daughter of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush and sister of George W. Bush, the 43rd President

Dorothy Lawrence (1896 – 1964), English reporter, secretly posed as a man to become a British soldier during World War I

Dorothy Bell Lawrence (1911–1973), New York assemblywoman

Dorothy Lee (actress), 1930s American actress-comedian

Dorothy Mackaill, British-American actress

Dorothy Mae Taylor, African-American politician and civil rights activist

Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, American astronaut

Dorothy Parker, American poet

Dorothy Phillips, American actress

Dorothy Revier, American actress

Dorothy H. Rose (1920–2005), New York assemblywoman

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957), English writer

Dorothy Scharf, English philanthropist

Dorothy Seastrom, American actress

Dorothy Sebastian, American actress

Dorothy Stang (1931-2005), Catholic nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

Dorothy Sterling, American writer

Dorothy Stratten, Canadian Playboy Playmate, model and actress

Dorothy Vest, American female tennis player

Dorothy Wang, American television personality

Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of William Wordsworth

Dorothy Rose Phelps, Canadien hero

In fiction

Dorothy Gale, the little girl who was blown to the Land of Oz by a cyclone in L. Frank Baum's 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the classic 1939 movie adaptation The Wizard of Oz

Doll Tearsheet, also referred to as "Mistress Dorothy", a prostitute in Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 2

Dorothy Zbornak, played by Bea Arthur on the long-running TV sitcom The Golden Girls

Dorothy Michaels, alias used by the female impersonator in the 1982 comedy film Tootsie, played by Dustin Hoffman

R. Dorothy Wayneright, female android in the anime series Big O

Dot Branning, fictional character on the television show EastEnders

Dorothy Catalonia, a character from the Gundam Wing anime series

Dorothy Williams, a character from the TV series "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries"

References

Dorothy (given name) Wikipedia

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