Given name
Dotty
“a gift of God”
In English use, Dotty is a diminutive of Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Dotty is a diminutive of Dorothy. One Greek interpretation is “a gift of God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Dotty is a diminutive of Dorothy. An origin associated with Dorothy is Greek.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Dotty is a diminutive of Dorothy. In English usage, Dotty is a diminutive of Dottie.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1909. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dotty through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,693
- 0 boys · 1,693 girls
- Most popular year
- 1945
- 53 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,249 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,249 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,020 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.
Dotty’s family of names
In English usage, Dotty is a diminutive of Dorothy. Dotty has a related form in Dorothy. In English usage, Dotty is a diminutive of Dottie.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Dotty
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dotty, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dona
“woman from a city in Arizona” · “ruler of the world”
>99% girls
Dot
“a gift of God”
>99% girls
Dianne
Dianne is a feminine given name from Latin.
>99% girls
Donella
“ruler of the world”
>99% girls
Bunny
“resembling a little rabbit”
8% boys · 92% girls
Judi
“woman from Judea” · “jewess”
>99% girls
Hedy
“one who is pleasing; delightful; a sweetheart”
>99% girls
Dorrene
>99% girls