Given name
Dorthea
“a gift of God”
Dorthea is a variant of Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Dorthea is a variant of Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Dorthea is a variant of Dorothy. An origin associated with Dorothy is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dorthea through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,437
- 0 boys · 2,437 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 69 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,247 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,247 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 69 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,310 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.
Dorthea’s family of names
Dorthea has a related form in Dorothy. In Danish usage, Dorthea has a conventional equivalent in the English form Dorothy. In Danish usage, Dorthea has a related form in Dorothea.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Dorthea, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dorotha
“a gift of God”
>99% girls
Dortha
“a gift of God”
>99% girls
Dollie
“a gift of God”
>99% girls
Dominga
“born on a Sunday” · “born on the Lord's day”
>99% girls
Ozella
>99% girls
Dorthy
“a gift of God”
>99% girls
Delphia
“woman from Delphi; resembling a dolphin”
>99% girls
Delpha
“woman from Delphi; resembling a dolphin”
>99% girls