Given name & surname · also Late Latin
Dorian
“of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians”
Dorian is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians.”
Original Ancient GreekΔωριεύς
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Late Latin and Greek naming traditions.
How it developed
In French usage, Dorian is a diminutive of Théodore.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Dorian is a variant of Doris. The history of Doris gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Doris is associated with a daughter of Oceanus.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Dorian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 28,728
- 24,187 boys · 4,541 girls
- Most popular year
- 2000
- 703 babies
- 2025
- 564
- #539 for boys · #12,245 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 97% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 557 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 539 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 641 in 2008. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (97). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 22,292 as a first name in 2020; 958 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dorian’s family of names
In Polish usage, Dorian has a diminutive in Dorianek. In French usage, Dorian has a feminine form in Doria. Dorian has a related form in Doris.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Dorian has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Dorian comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 24
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Dorian
- Dorian BabunskiMacedonian association football playerborn 1996
- Dorian YatesSix-Times Mr. Olympiaborn 1962
- Dorian HarewoodAmerican actor (born 1950)
- Dorian van RijsselbergheDutch windsurferborn 1988
- Dorian GregoryAmerican actorborn 1971
- Dorian Finney-SmithAmerican basketball player (1993-)
- Dorian GrayItalian actress (1928-2011)
- Dorian GodonFrench road cyclistborn 1996
- Dorian ElectraAmerican singer-songwriterborn 1992
Characters named Dorian: Dorian Gray (fictional character by Oscar Wilde).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dorian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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