Dorothy is a female given name. It is the English vernacular form of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Δωροθέα (''Dōrothéa'') meaning "God's Gift", from δῶρον (''dōron''), "gift" + θεός (''theós''), "god". . It has been in use since the 1400s. Although much less common, there are also male equivalents in English such as ''Dory'', from the Greek masculine Δωρόθεος (''Dōrótheos''). ''Dorofei'' is a rarely used Russian male version of the name. The given names ''

Theodore Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Saskatche ...

'' and '' Theodora'' are derived from the same two Greek root words as Dorothy, albeit reversed in order. The name grew in use among Christians due to popular legends surrounding Saint Dorothy of Caeserea. The name was at one time viewed as the English equivalent of the etymologically unrelated Russian name ''

Daria ''Daria'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It focuses on the title character, Daria Morgendorffer, an intelligent, cynical high ...

'' or its diminutive ''Dasha''. Traditional

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

diminutives include, among others, ''Do'', ''Dodi'', ''Dodie'', ''Doe'', ''Doll'', ''Dolley'', ''Dollie'', ''Dolly'', ''Dora'', ''Dori'', ''Dorie'', ''Doro'', ''Dory'', ''Dot'', ''Dottie'', ''Dotty'', ''Tea'', and ''Thea''. There are also many variants of the name in other languages. Dorothy was a less common variant of '' Dorothea'' until it became more common and one of the top 10 most popular names for girls in the United States between 1904 and 1940. The name remained among the top 100 most popular names for American girls until 1961. It briefly left the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States in 2007 but returned in 2011 and has since increased in popularity. In 2020, it ranked 534th among the most used names for newborn girls in the United States, with 559 girls given the name in that year. Variant Dorothea is in occasional use in the United States, where 57 girls were given the name in 2020.

Notable people

Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison (born April 11, 1949) is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of aw ...

, American writer * Dorothy Arnold, American socialite who disappeared mysteriously * Dorothy Arnold, American actress *

Dorothy Appleby Dorothy Appleby (January 6, 1906 – August 9, 1990) was an American film actress. She appeared in over 50 films between 1931 and 1943. Career Appleby gained early acting experience as an understudy and a chorus member in plays in New Yor ...

, American actress *

Dorothy Bernard Nora Dorothy Bernard (June 25, 1890 – December 15, 1955) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in nearly 90 films between 1908 and 1956. Biography She was born Nora Dorothy Bernard in Port Elizabeth, British Cape Colo ...

, American actress * Dorothy Christy, American actress * Dorothy "Dodie" Clark, British singer-songwriter and YouTuber * Dorothy Coburn, American actress * Dorothy Dalton, American actress * Dorothy Dandridge, American actress *

Dorothy Davenport Fannie Dorothy Davenport (March 13, 1895 – October 12, 1977) was an American actress, screenwriter, film director, and producer. Born into a family of film performers, Davenport had her own independent career before her marriage to the film a ...

, American actress *

Dorothy Day Dorothy Day (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American journalist, social activist and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic without abandoning her social and anarchist activism. She was perhaps the best-known ...

, American journalist, social activist *

Dorothy Dell Dorothy Dell (born Dorothy Dell Goff; January 30, 1915 – June 8, 1934) was an American film actress. She died in an auto accident at the age of 19. Early life and career Born Dorothy Dell Goff in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to entertainers, ...

, American actress * Dorothy Devore, American actress *

Dorothy Dunbar Dorothy Dunbar Lawson (May 28, 1902 – October 23, 1992) was an American actress and socialite, who appeared in silent movies in the 1920s. Early years Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Dunbar became an actress despite her father's opposit ...

, American actress * Dorothy Dunnett, Scottish historical novelist *

Dorothy Dwan Dorothy Dwan (April 26, 1906 – March 17, 1981) was an American film actress. Biography Born Dorothy Ilgenfritz in Sedalia, Missouri, Dwan was a WAMPAS Baby Star. She appeared in 40 films between 1922 and 1930, several of which were dir ...

, American actress *

Dorothy Fletcher Dorothy Woodham Fletcher (formerly King, née Graham; 25 July 1927 – 10 August 2017) was a New Zealand historian. Biography Fletcher was born in 1927 to Alec and Isabella Graham, part-owners of Franz Josef Glacier Hotel at Franz Josef. Her ...

(1927–2017), New Zealand historian *

D. C. Fontana Dorothy Catherine Fontana (March 25, 1939 – December 2, 2019) was an American television script writer and story editor, best known for her work on the original ''Star Trek'' franchise and several Western television series. After a short ...

(Dorothy Catherine Fontana, 1939–2019), screenplay writer * Dorothy Garlock, American author * Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist * Dorothy Edna Genders, Australian Anglican deaconess * Dorothy Gibson, American actress *

Dorothy Gish Dorothy Elizabeth Gish (March 11, 1898June 4, 1968) was an American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer. Dorothy and her older sister Lillian Gish were major movie stars of the silent era. Dorothy also had great s ...

, American actress *

Dorothy Gulliver Dorothy Kathleen Gulliver (September 6, 1908 – May 23, 1997) was an American silent film actress, and one of the few to make a successful transition when films began using sound. Biography The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gulliver, she wa ...

, American actress *

Dorothy Hamill Dorothy Stuart Hamill (born July 26, 1956) is a retired American figure skater. She is the 1976 Olympic champion and 1976 World champion in ladies' singles. Early life Hamill was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Chalmers and Carol Hamill. Her fat ...

, American figure skater *

Dorothy Hodgkin Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin (née Crowfoot; 12 May 1910 – 29 July 1994) was a Nobel Prize-winning British chemist who advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of biomolecules, which became essential fo ...

, British biochemist and winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry *

Dorothy Janis Dorothy Janis (born Dorothy Penelope Jones, February 19, 1912 – March 10, 2010) was an American actress. Early life Born as Dorothy Penelope Jones in Dallas, Texas, her short film career began when she was visiting a cousin, who was working ...

, American actress *

Dorothy Misener Jurney Dorothy Misener Jurney (May 8, 1909 – June 19, 2002) was an American journalist. As women's page editor for the '' Miami Herald'', she shifted the focus of those pages from the "Four F's – family, food, fashion, and furnishings" – t ...

, American journalist * Dorothy Kelly, American actress *

Dorothy Kilgallen Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (July 3, 1913 – November 8, 1965) was an American columnist, journalist, and television game show panelist. After spending two semesters at the College of New Rochelle, she started her career shortly before her 18th birth ...

, American journalist and television game show panelist. * Dorothy Bush Koch, daughter of United States President George H. W. Bush and sister of President George W. Bush * Dorothy, Lady Pakington (1623–1679), English writer * Dorothy Lawrence (1896–1964), English reporter, secretly posed as a man to become a British soldier during World War I * Dorothy Bell Lawrence (1911–1973), New York assemblywoman *

Dorothy Lee (actress) Dorothy Lee (born Marjorie Elizabeth Millsap, May 23, 1911 – June 24, 1999) was an American actress and comedian during the 1930s. She appeared in 28 films, usually appearing alongside the Wheeler & Woolsey comedy team. Biography Born in L ...

, American actress-comedian *

Dorothy Leigh Dorothy Leigh ( Kemp or Kempe; died ) was a 17th-century British writer remembered for ''The Mother's Blessing'' (1616). Biography Dorothy Kemp (or Kempe) was the daughter of William Kemp (or Robert Kemp), of Finchingfield, Essex. She married ...

(died ), British writer * Dorothy Mabiletsa, South African politician * Dorothy Mackaill (1903–1990), British-American actress * Dorothy Manley (1927–2021), British sprinter * Dorothy Manning (1919–2012), New Zealand artist * Dorothy McAulay Martin (born 1937), First Lady of North Carolina *

Dorothy McGuire Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actre ...

(1916-2001), American actress * Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, American astronaut * Dorothy Miner (1904–1973), American art historian * Dorothy Miner, American lawyer * Dorothy Moskowitz, American singer *

Dorothy Klenke Nash Dorothy Klenke Nash (October 24, 1898 – March 5, 1976) was an American surgeon based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was considered the first American woman to become a neurosurgeon, and the only American woman neurosurgeon from 1928 to 1960. ...

(1898–1976), American neurosurgeon *

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhap ...

(1893–1967), American satirist and poet *

Dorothy Phillips Dorothy Phillips (born Dorothy Gwendolyn Strible, October 30, 1889 – March 1, 1980) was an American stage and film actress. She is known for her emotional performances in melodramas, having played a number of "brow beaten" women on screen, bu ...

, American actress *

Dorothy Peto Dorothy Olivia Georgiana Peto OBE KPFSM (15 December 1886 – 26 February 1974) was a pioneer of women policing in the United Kingdom who served as the first attested woman Superintendent in the London Metropolitan Police, from 1930 to 1946. ...

, first female police superintendent in the UK *

Dorothy Revier Dorothy Revier (born Doris Valerga; April 18, 1904 – November 19, 1993) was an American actress. Early years Born as Doris Valerga in San Francisco on April 18, 1904, Revier was one of five siblings of the famous Valerga performing fami ...

, American actress * Dorothy Robertson (died 1979), New Zealand painter *

Dorothy H. Rose Dorothy H. Rose (September 21, 1920 – July 8, 2005) was an American politician from New York. Life She was born Dorothy Zdarsky on September 21, 1920, in Buffalo, New York. She attended East High School. She graduated B.A. from D'Youville Colleg ...

(1920–2005), New York assemblywoman * Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957), English writer * Dorothy Kuhn Oko (1896–1971), librarian and labor unionist *

Dorothy Scharf Dorothy Scharf (1942–2004) was a reclusive art collector who left 51 valuable paintings to the Courtauld Institute in her will. Her collection, containing works by such eminent artists as John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough, covers the "Gold ...

, English philanthropist * Dorothy Seastrom, American actress * Dorothy Sebastian, American actress * Dorothy Squires (1915–1998), Welsh singer * Dorothy Stang (1931–2005), Catholic nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur * Dorothy Stanley-Turner (1916–1995), English racing driver * Dorothy Sterling, American writer *

Dorothy Stratten Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten (February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980), known professionally as Dorothy Stratten, was a Playboy Playmate and actress, originally from Canada. Stratten was the ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Playm ...

, Canadian ''Playboy'' Playmate, model and actress *

Dorothy Mae Taylor Dorothy Mae DeLavallade Taylor (August 10, 1928 – August 18, 2000), was an educator and politician in New Orleans, the first African-American woman to be elected to and serve in the Louisiana House of Representatives. From 1971 to 1980, she ...

(1928–2000), African-American politician and civil rights activist * Dorothy Ann Thrupp (1779–1847), English psalmist, hymnwriter, translator *

Dorothy Vaughan Dorothy Jean Johnson Vaughan (September 20, 1910 – November 10, 2008) was an American mathematician and human computer who worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and NASA, at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virg ...

(1910–2008), African American mathematician and human computer who worked for NACA and NASA * Dorothy Vest, American tennis player * Dorothy Wall (1894–1942), New Zealand-born author * Dorothy Wallace, American mathematician *

Dorothy Wang ''Rich Kids of Beverly Hills'' (stylized as ''#RichKids of Beverly Hills'') is an American reality television series that premiered on E!, on January 19, 2014. The series focuses on the lives of a group of twenty-something millionaires and bill ...

, American television personality * Dorothy Grace Waring (1891–1977), English fascist campaigner and novelist *

Dorothy Wordsworth Dorothy Mae Ann Wordsworth (25 December 1771 – 25 January 1855) was an English author, poet, and diarist. She was the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close all their adult lives. Dorothy Wordsworth had no a ...

, sister of

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

Animals

* Dorofei (2004-2014), the male pet cat of former Russian President

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

Fictional characters

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of it ...

, the little girl who was blown to the Land of Oz by a cyclone in L. Frank Baum's 1900 book ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...

'' and the classic 1939 movie adaptation ''The Wizard of Oz'' * Doll Tearsheet, also referred to as "Mistress Dorothy", a prostitute in Shakespeare's play '' Henry IV, Part 2'' *

Dorothy Zbornak Dorothy Zbornak is a character from the sitcom television series ''The Golden Girls'', portrayed by Bea Arthur. Sarcastic, introspective, compassionate, and fiercely protective of those she considers family, she is introduced as a substitute teach ...

, played by Bea Arthur on the long-running TV sitcom ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty Wh ...

'' * Dorothy Albright, a character from the video game series ''

Arcana Heart is a 2D arcade fighting game series developed by Team Arcana (originally co-owned with its former parent company Examu). The first edition was released to arcades (mostly in Japan, but a few in other countries) in late 2007. The games feature ...

'' * Dorothy, a goldfish owned by Elmo in

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

* Dorothy Michaels, alias used by the female impersonator in the 1982 comedy film ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, Geo ...

'', played by

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...

* Dorothy Cramp, a character from the animated series The Cramp Twins * R. Dorothy Wayneright, female android in the anime series ''Big O'' * Dot Branning, fictional character on the television show ''EastEnders'' * Dot, fictional character form the movie "The Quiet" of 2005 *

Dorothy Catalonia This is a list of characters from the Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', known in Japan as , and subsequent spin-offs. The codes after the characters' names indicate which series and manga the characters appear in: * ...

, a character from the

Gundam Wing ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', also known in Japan as , is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the '' Gundam'' franchise, taking place in the "Af ...

anime series * Dorothy Williams, a character from the TV series ''

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' is an Australian drama television series. It was first broadcast on ABC on 24 February 2012. It is based on author Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels, and it was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger ...

'' * Dorothy, a talented archer, with low self esteem from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade * Dorothy the Dinosaur, a character from ''

The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, C ...

'' * Dorothy "Ace" McShane, a companion of the

Seventh Doctor The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and the final incarnation of the original Doctor Who series. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy. W ...

from ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'', played by Sophie Aldred

References

{{given name, Dorothy, nocat Given names English given names English feminine given names Given names of Greek language origin Theophoric names

Notable people

Animals

Fictional characters

See also

References