Dorothy sits comfortably in the UK charts at #199 in 2025 — recognisable but not overwhelming. Your child may occasionally share their name.
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UK Rank 2025
#199
US Rank #421
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About the Name Dorothy
Dorothy has held its ground, ranked #199 in 2025 and never far from its best of #175 in 2020 — a name with lasting rather than trend-driven appeal. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Dorothy is fairly common in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Dorothy in their class.
In the US it sits at #431 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.
⭐ Famous People Named Dorothy
Dorothy Hodgkin — Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin was an English chemist who advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of biomolecules, which became essential for structural biology.
Dorothy Day — Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic without abandoning her social activism.
Dorothy Reynolds — Dorothy Reynolds was a British writer and actress.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Dorothy
Unlikely. With around 253 UK babies named Dorothy per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Dorothy in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Dorothy has been fairly steady, ranked #199 in 2025 against #175 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #175 in 2020.
Dorothy is more popular in the UK (#193) than in the US (#431). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Dorothy include: Dorothy Hodgkin, Dorothy Reynolds and Dorothy Bush Koch. Short summaries for each appear below.
Dorothy appears in the US top 500 at #431 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
253
UK babies named Dorothy (2025)
~0.0
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↓ 24 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Dorothy
Almost certainly the only Dorothy in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Dorothy
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin was an English chemist who advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of biomolecules, which became essential for structural biology.
Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic without abandoning her social activism.