Given name
Dorotea
“a gift of God”
Dorotea is a variant of Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Dorotea is a variant of Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Dorotea is a variant of Dorothy. An origin associated with Dorothy is Greek.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Italian usage, Dorotea developed from Δωροθέα.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1896. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dorotea through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 130
- 0 boys · 130 girls
- Most popular year
- 1922
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2016. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 11 in 1922. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 906 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dorotea’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Dorotea has an affectionate form in Thea. In Italian usage, Dorotea developed from the Ancient Greek form Δωροθέα. Dorotea has a related form in Dorothy.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Dorotea has relatives in 11 languages.
10 related names in 11 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 6
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Dorotheaalso known as · German, Swedish
- Doraequivalent
- Deaequivalent
- Dortheaequivalent
- Doretheaequivalent
- Dorotheeequivalent
- Dorotejaequivalent
- Doreteequivalent
Show 3 moreShow fewer
People named Dorotea
- Dorothea of CaesareaCatholic saint279–311
- Dorotea BuccaItalian physician1360–1436
- Infanta Doroteia of BraganzaPortuguese infanta (1739-1771)
- Dorotea of Schwarzburg-SondershausenDuchess consort of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg1579–1639
- Dorotea GonzagaItalian noble1449–1467
- Dorotheea PetreFilm actressborn 1981
- Dorotea de ChopiteaPhilanthropist (1816-1891)
- Dorotea BárcenaSpanish actress and theatre director1944–2016
- Dorotea Barnés GonzálezSpanish chemist (1904-2003)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dorotea, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dominga
“born on a Sunday” · “born on the Lord's day”
>99% girls
Odilia
“one who praises God”
>99% girls
Dorcas
“resembling a gazelle”
>99% girls
Delfina
“woman from Delphi; resembling a dolphin”
>99% girls
Rosaria
“refers to the rosary and Our Lady of the Rosary” · “refers to the rosary”
>99% girls
Zenobia
Zenobia is a feminine given name from Latin, ultimately from Arabic. It is used in English, Italian, Polish, and Occitan.
>99% girls
Teodora
“gift of God”
>99% girls
Dovie
“resembling a bird of peace” · “a peaceful man”
>99% girls