| Amanda | Dorothy | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1987 (41,786) | 1924 (39,996) |
| In 2025 | 601 | 743 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Amanda | Dorothy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,904 | 3,984 |
| 2010s | 11,081 | 3,958 |
| 2000s | 46,660 | 2,717 |
| 1990s | 191,132 | 4,211 |
| 1980s | 369,727 | 7,143 |
| 1970s | 123,920 | 11,664 |
| 1960s | 17,176 | 33,011 |
| 1950s | 5,471 | 74,475 |
| 1940s | 2,759 | 132,257 |
| 1930s | 1,965 | 210,415 |
| 1920s | 3,125 | 368,875 |
| 1910s | 3,643 | 207,475 |
| 1900s | 2,923 | 39,112 |
| 1890s | 3,872 | 10,846 |
| 1880s | 3,280 | 2,088 |
Amanda is Latin for “worthy of love, lovable,” a gerundive of amare (“to love”). It was a literary coinage, popularised by 17th-century English poets and playwrights who liked its tender meaning.
Dorothy comes from the Greek Dorothea — dōron (“gift”) plus theos (“god”) — “gift of God.” It shares its elements with Theodore, in reverse order, and is famous today as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.
Dorothy is more popular than Amanda today: about 743 US babies were given the name Dorothy in 2025, compared with 601 named Amanda.
In US records, Amanda first appears in 1880 and Dorothy in 1880, so Amanda has the longer recorded history.