Dorenda
Of English origin, meaning "gift of God" or "precious gift".
Name Census estimates that about 377 living Americans carry the first name Dorenda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dorenda today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dorenda births was 1958 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dorenda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
377
~ 1 in 909,163 Americans
Peak year
1958
24 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1989 SSA rank
#12,939
Tracked since 1944
Census
Dorenda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 432 people with the first name Dorenda, which placed it at #22,880 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#22,880
National first-name rank
People counted
432
432 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
61.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorenda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dorenda is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dorenda described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dorenda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.3% · 265
- Black or African American32.4% · 140
- Two or more races3.7% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Popularity
Dorenda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dorenda from the 1940s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 170 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dorenda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dorenda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dorendas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dorenda
The given name Dorenda is a feminine name with origins that can be traced back to ancient Greece. It is derived from the Greek word "doron," which translates to "gift." The name is believed to have been used in various regions of ancient Greece, particularly in Athens and the surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dorenda can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. In his work "The Republic," Plato mentions a character named Dorenda, who is portrayed as a wise and virtuous woman. This reference suggests that the name was in use during the 4th century BCE, when Plato lived and wrote his famous works.
During the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century CE, the name Dorenda gained popularity among the Eastern Orthodox Christian communities. It was often associated with the concept of divine gifts and blessings, reflecting the name's original Greek meaning. Several notable figures from this period bore the name, including Dorenda of Thessaloniki (c. 1050 CE), a renowned scholar and poet.
In the Middle Ages, the name Dorenda was adopted and used in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions influenced by Greek culture and language. One notable bearer of the name was Dorenda of Arles (c. 1200 CE), a French noblewoman who played a significant role in the cultural and political life of her time.
During the Renaissance period, which lasted from the 14th to the 17th century, the name Dorenda experienced a resurgence in popularity. Among the most famous individuals with this name was Dorenda Bellini (1430-1516), an Italian painter and one of the founding members of the Venetian school of Renaissance art.
In the 19th century, the name Dorenda gained traction in parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in countries with strong cultural ties to Greece, such as Romania and Bulgaria. One notable figure from this time was Dorenda Sturdza (1816-1888), a Romanian writer and journalist who played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of her country.
Throughout its long history, the name Dorenda has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life, including writers, artists, scholars, and nobility. While not as widely used as some other names, it has maintained a presence across various cultures and time periods, serving as a reminder of its ancient Greek roots and the concept of a divine gift.
People
Dorenda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dorenda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dorenda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dorenda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 377 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dorenda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 909,163 US residents.
Is Dorenda a common name?
We classify Dorenda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 483 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dorenda most popular?
The single biggest year for Dorenda was 1958, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dorenda is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dorenda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 432 people with the name Dorenda, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,880 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dorenda in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dorenda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dorenda appears almost entirely female. Of the 432 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dorenda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dorenda is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dorenda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Dorenda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.3% (265 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dorenda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dorenda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dorenda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dorenda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dorenda in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dorenda can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Dorenda?
See how many people share the name Dorenda on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.