Given name & surname
Dorothea
“a gift of God”
In English use, Dorothea has a related form in Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Dorothea has a related form in Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Dorothea has a related form in Dorothy. An origin associated with Dorothy is Greek.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Its Greek formation brings together doron (“gift”) and theos (“god”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dorothea through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 34,427
- 6 boys · 34,421 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 1,110 babies
- 2025
- 113
- #1,782 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +58%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 113 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,782 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 58.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,110 in 1920. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,625 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.
Dorothea’s family of names
In English usage, Dorothea has a diminutive in Tia. Dorothea shares a linguistic root with Dorota. In English usage, Dorothea has a related form in Dorothy.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Dorothea has relatives in 12 languages.
18 related names in 12 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 14
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 16
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Dorothea
- Dorothea LangeAmerican photojournalist (1895-1965)
- Dorothea WiererItalian biathlete and military athleteborn 1990
- Dorothea Erxlebenphysician (1715–1762)
- Dorothea TanningAmerican painter (1910–2012)
- Dorothea of BrandenburgQueen consort of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden1430–1495
- Dorothea DixAmerican author and social reformer (1802–1887)
- Dorothea Lambert ChambersEnglish tennis and badminton player (1878–1960)
- Dorothea of Saxe-LauenburgQueen consort of Denmark and Norway (1511-1571)
- Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of NeuburgDuchess of Parma (1670-1748)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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