| Dorothea | Calliope | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Beautiful voice |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | dor-ə-THEE-ə | kuh-LY-uh-pee |
| Syllables | 4 | 4 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1917 |
| Peak year | 1920 (1,110) | 2025 (682) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 682 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dorothea | Calliope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 464 | 3,336 |
| 2010s | 345 | 2,339 |
| 2000s | 210 | 287 |
| 1990s | 299 | 55 |
| 1980s | 478 | 11 |
| 1970s | 768 | 5 |
| 1960s | 2,326 | 0 |
| 1950s | 3,008 | 10 |
| 1940s | 3,111 | 0 |
| 1930s | 4,180 | 5 |
| 1920s | 8,518 | 43 |
| 1910s | 7,750 | 7 |
| 1900s | 1,810 | 0 |
| 1890s | 807 | 0 |
| 1880s | 347 | 0 |
From Greek Dorothea, combining doron 'gift' + theos 'God' — 'gift of God'. It is the exact reversal of the elements in Theodora/Theodore.
From Greek Kalliopē, from kallos 'beauty' + ops 'voice', literally 'beautiful-voiced'. The name of the Muse of epic poetry; the 'beauty' root (kallos) is explicit.
Calliope is more popular than Dorothea today: about 682 US babies were given the name Calliope in 2025, compared with 0 named Dorothea.
Dorothea means gift of God (greek origin), while Calliope means Beautiful voice (greek origin).
In US records, Dorothea first appears in 0 and Calliope in 1917, so Dorothea has the longer recorded history.