Dorothy (given name)
| 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, Dace, Dot, Doreen, Dorothea, Dorothie, Dorothi, Dorothée (French) |
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Look up Dorothy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Dorothy is a female given name. It comes from Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa) meaning "God's Gift", from δῶρον (dōron), "gift"[1] + θεός (theós), "god".[2] Although much less common, there are also male equivalents in English such as "Dorie" from the Greek masculine Δωρόθεος (Dōrótheos). Also, the given names Theodore and Theodora are derived from the same two Greek root words as Dorothy, albeit reversed in order. The name is variously abbreviated to "Dot", "Dotty" and "Doll".
Dorothy was a less common variant of Dorothea, until Eve became one of the most popular girl's names in the United States between 1904 and 1940. It was ranked among the top 10 most popular names given to American 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.[3]
Notable bearers
- Dorothy Allison, American writer
- Dorothy Arnold, American socialite who disappeared mysteriously
- Dorothy Dandridge, actress
- Dorothy Day, journalist, social activist, and devout Catholic convert
- D. C. Fontana (Dorothy Catherine Fontana, born 1939), screenplay writer
- Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist
- Dorothy Gish, American actress
- Dorothy Hamill, figure skater
- Dorothy Hodgkin, British biochemist and winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Dorothy Kilgallen,[4]American journalist and television game show panelist.
- 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
- Dorothy Bell Lawrence (1911–1973), New York assemblywoman
- Dorothy Lee (actress), 1930s American actress-comedian
- Dorothy Mae Taylor, African-American politician and civil rights activist
- Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, American astronaut
- Dorothy Parker, American poet
- Dorothy H. Rose (1920–2005), New York assemblywoman
- Dorothy L. Sayers, English writer
- 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
- In fiction
- Dorothy Gale, 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 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, played by Bea Arthur on the long-running TV sitcom The Golden Girls
- Dorothy Michaels, alias used by the female impersonator in the 1982 comedy film Tootsie, played by Dustin Hoffman
- R. Dorothy Wayneright, female android in the anime series Big O
- Dot Branning, fictional character on the television show EastEnders
- Dorothy Catalonia, a character from the Gundam Wing anime series
See also
- Dorothea (disambiguation)
References
- ↑ δῶρον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ↑ θεός, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ↑ http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/
- ↑ Dorothy Kilgallen