Dotty
Diminutive form of the feminine name Dorothy, of Greek origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 736 living Americans carry the first name Dotty. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dotty today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dotty births was 1945 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dotty. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dotty is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dottys were born before 1966.
People living today
736
~ 1 in 465,699 Americans
Peak year
1945
53 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,473
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Dotty: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dotty from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 453 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dotty 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 Dotty during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dottys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Kentucky, West Virginia, New York recorded the most babies named Dotty, while Illinois, Missouri, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dotty
The given name Dotty is an English diminutive form of the name Dorothy, which has its origins in the Greek language. Dorothy is derived from the Greek name Dorothea, composed of the elements doron, meaning "gift," and theos, meaning "god." Thus, the name Dotty ultimately carries the meaning of "gift of God."
Dotty emerged as a nickname or pet form of Dorothy, likely during the Middle Ages when the use of diminutive names was common. The earliest recorded instance of the name Dotty dates back to the 16th century in England, where it was used as an affectionate abbreviation for Dorothy.
While the name Dotty does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its parent name, Dorothy, has been associated with various notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Saint Dorothy, a 4th-century virgin martyr venerated in the Catholic Church.
Among the famous individuals named Dotty, a notable example is Dotty Lamour, an American singer, and actress born in 1914. She was best known for her roles in several road movies and for her contributions to the World War II effort as a popular entertainer.
Another well-known figure named Dotty was Dotty Betz, an American professional golfer born in 1925. She won multiple LPGA Tour events and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1986.
Dotty Stevens, born in 1923, was an American big band singer and actress who performed with notable bands, including those led by Gene Krupa and Harry James.
In the literary world, Dotty Dimple was the name of the protagonist in a series of children's books written by Sophie May in the late 19th century.
Dotty Kazorts, born in 1950, was an American softball player who competed in the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in 1976.
People
Dotty + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dotty 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
Dotty: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dotty?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 736 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dotty 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 465,699 US residents.
Is Dotty a common name?
We classify Dotty as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,686 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dotty most popular?
The single biggest year for Dotty was 1945, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dotty is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dotty a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dotty 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.
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.