How old is someone named Dorothy?
The average Dorothy is 72 years old.
Half of all living Dorothys are between 66 and 85.
When was Dorothy popular?
Parents have been choosing Dorothy less often since its peak in 1924; 743 babies got the name in 2025.
Popular names of 1924 · The most popular names of the 1920s →
Show the numbers by decade
| Born in | Babies born | Alive today |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 39,248 | 0 |
| 1910s | 207,956 | under 100 |
| 1920s | 369,879 | 6,300 |
| 1930s | 211,521 | 41,000 |
| 1940s | 132,766 | 73,000 |
| 1950s | 74,712 | 58,000 |
| 1960s | 33,143 | 29,000 |
| 1970s | 11,688 | 11,000 |
| 1980s | 7,165 | 6,900 |
| 1990s | 4,211 | 4,100 |
| 2000s | 2,717 | 2,700 |
| 2010s | 3,958 | 3,900 |
| 2020s | 3,984 | 4,000 |
How many Dorothys are still alive?
About 240,000 Dorothys are alive in the US today. That's 21% of the roughly 1.1 million babies named Dorothy since 1880.
Most Dorothys ever born have died: the name was most popular in 1924, long enough ago that many of those babies are gone.
What generation is the name Dorothy?
About two in five living Dorothys are Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964.
Is Dorothy an old name?
Yes. Dorothy is older than 99 in 100 names on AgeByName.
Looking ahead: if babies keep getting the name at today's pace, the typical Dorothy will be 51 in 2056, so its average age will actually fall, as the youngest Dorothys make up more of the total.
Is Dorothy a boy or girl name?
Almost entirely girls: 99.7% of living Dorothys are women.
Names the same age as Dorothy
NAME TWIN
Dorothy's name twin is Erma. Of all 3,713 names on AgeByName, Erma's age curve is the closest match to Dorothy's: 96% alike.
Other spellings: Dorothea (63)
Compare: Dorothy vs. Doris
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Questions about the name Dorothy
How old is the average Dorothy?
The average Dorothy in the US is 72 years old. The median is 77, so half are older and half younger.
How many people are named Dorothy?
About 240,000 Dorothys are alive in the US today, out of roughly 1.1 million babies given the name since 1880.
When was the name Dorothy most popular?
In 1924, when about 40,000 baby girls were named Dorothy.
Is Dorothy a Boomer name?
Partly. Baby Boomers are the largest group, about 45% of living Dorothys, but the name spans several generations.
Estimates from Social Security Administration baby-name records (births 1880–2025) and SSA cohort life tables (2026 Trustees Report). Updated each spring. How we calculate this