| Dorothea | Ophelia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Help, benefit |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | dor-ə-THEE-ə | oh-FEEL-yuh |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1920 (1,110) | 2024 (1,223) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 1,183 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dorothea | Ophelia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 464 | 6,560 |
| 2010s | 345 | 3,981 |
| 2000s | 210 | 474 |
| 1990s | 299 | 252 |
| 1980s | 478 | 295 |
| 1970s | 768 | 397 |
| 1960s | 2,326 | 720 |
| 1950s | 3,008 | 1,388 |
| 1940s | 3,111 | 1,392 |
| 1930s | 4,180 | 1,948 |
| 1920s | 8,518 | 3,276 |
| 1910s | 7,750 | 2,372 |
| 1900s | 1,810 | 1,236 |
| 1890s | 807 | 899 |
| 1880s | 347 | 580 |
From Greek Dorothea, combining doron 'gift' + theos 'God' — 'gift of God'. It is the exact reversal of the elements in Theodora/Theodore.
From the Greek ophelos, “help” or “benefit.” Ophelia appears in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Ophelia is more popular than Dorothea today: about 1,183 US babies were given the name Ophelia in 2025, compared with 0 named Dorothea.
Dorothea means gift of God (greek origin), while Ophelia means Help, benefit (Greek origin).
In US records, Dorothea first appears in 0 and Ophelia in 1880, so Dorothea has the longer recorded history.