- Dorothy (given name)
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Dorothy
Dorothy Gale is a character in L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.Gender Female Origin Word/Name Greek Meaning Gift of God Other names Related names Theodore, Dottie, Theodora, Dot, Doreen, Dorothea, Dorothie, Dorothi Dorothy is a female given name from Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothea) ("gift of the gods") which is derived from the Greek phrase Δώρων Θεός meaning "Gift of God." Although much less common, there are also male equivalents in English such as "Dorie" from the Greek masculine Δωροθέος (Dōrotheos). Also, the given name Theodora is derived from the same two Greek root words as Dorothy, reversed in order.
Dorothy was most popular in the United States between 1904 and 1940, when it was ranked among the top 10 most popular names given to newborn girls. The name remained among the top 100 most popular names for American girls until 1961. It then declined in popularity and was last ranked among the top 1,000 most popular names for American newborn girls in 2006, when it was ranked in 986th position. There were 235 newborn American girls given the name in 2010. Just 20 American girls were given the variant name Dorothea in 2010.[1]
Famous bearers
- Dorothy Allison, American writer
- Dorothy Arnold, American socialite who disappeared mysteriously
- Dorothy Dandridge, actress
- Dorothy Catherine Fontana, screenplay writer
- Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist
- Dorothy Hamill, figure skater
- Dorothy Hodgkin, British biochemist and winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Dorothy Lee, 1930s American actress-comedian
- Dorothy Parker, American poet
- Dorothy Scharf, English philanthropist
- Dorothy Stang (1931-2005), Catholic nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
- Dorothy Sterling, American writer
- Dorothy Vest, American female tennis player
- Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of William Wordsworth
- Angela Dorothea Merkel, German politician
- Dorothea Douglass, English tennis player
- Dorota Masłowska, Polish writer
- Dorothy Leigh Sayers, writer
- Dorothea Maria Lösch, Swedish captain
- Dorothy Gish, American actress
- Dorothy Faye Dunaway, American actress
- Dorota Rabczewska, Polish rock singer
- Dorota Nieznalska, Polish artist
- Dorothea von Biron, a Baltic German noblewoman
- Dorothea Lange, American documentary photographer and photojournalist
- Dorothy Bush Koch, daughter of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush and sister of George W. Bush, the 43rd President
In fiction:
- Dorothy Ann
- Dorothy Catalonia, a character from the Gundam Wing anime series.
- Dorothy Gale, 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 and the classic 1939 movie adaptation The Wizard of Oz
- Dorothy Michaels (Michael D'Orsay), female role in the 1982 comedy film Tootsie, played by Dustin Hoffman.
- Dorothy Zbornak, played by Bea Arthur on the long-running TV sitcom The Golden Girls
- R. Dorothy Wayneright, female android in the anime series Big O
- Dot Branning, fictional character on the television show EastEnders
References
This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Categories:- Given names
- English given names
- English feminine given names
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