Given name & surname
Dorsey
“from the fortress near the sea”
Dorsey is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “from the fortress near the sea.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “from the fortress near the sea.”
Where it comes from
Dorsey is a variant of Darcie. An origin associated with Darcie is English.
Explained through its name family
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
Dorsey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,228
- 5,411 boys · 817 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 176 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 87% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2018. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 160 in 1916. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,339 as a first name in 2020; 41,699 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.
Dorsey’s family of names
Dorsey has a related form in Darcie. Dorsey has a related form in Dorsie. Dorsey has a related form in Dorsea.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Dorsey
- Dorsey WrightAmerican actorborn 1957
- Dorsey BurnetteAmerican rockabilly musician (1932–1979)
- Dorsey W. ShacklefordAmerican politician (1853-1936)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dorsey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hurley
“a healthy woman” · “of the sea tide”
96% boys · 4% girls
Mervin
“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys
Irving
“a triend of the sea”
>99% boys
Clarence
“from the Clare river”
>99% boys
Orrin
“from the river”
>99% boys
Lyman
“man of the meadow”
>99% boys
Donal
“ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior”
>99% boys
Frazier
“of the forest men”
>99% boys