Dorothy is the English form of the Greek Dorothea, from doron, "gift", and theos, "god", so it means "gift of God", the same elements as Theodore in reverse order. Dorothy Gale of The Wizard of Oz made it the quintessential American girl's name of the 1920s and 1930s, when it was a top 10 choice. After dropping out of the top 1000 in the 2000s, Dorothy returned in 2011 and has risen steadily to number 421 in 2025.