| Dorothea | Thea | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Goddess |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | dor-ə-THEE-ə | THEE-ah |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1920 (1,110) | 2018 (1,209) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 867 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dorothea | Thea |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 464 | 5,908 |
| 2010s | 345 | 6,408 |
| 2000s | 210 | 1,362 |
| 1990s | 299 | 952 |
| 1980s | 478 | 1,022 |
| 1970s | 768 | 1,008 |
| 1960s | 2,326 | 1,099 |
| 1950s | 3,008 | 1,027 |
| 1940s | 3,111 | 431 |
| 1930s | 4,180 | 207 |
| 1920s | 8,518 | 254 |
| 1910s | 7,750 | 157 |
| 1900s | 1,810 | 87 |
| 1890s | 807 | 105 |
| 1880s | 347 | 86 |
From Greek Dorothea, combining doron 'gift' + theos 'God' — 'gift of God'. It is the exact reversal of the elements in Theodora/Theodore.
Thea means “goddess” in Greek and is also a short form of Dorothea.
Thea is more popular than Dorothea today: about 867 US babies were given the name Thea in 2025, compared with 0 named Dorothea.
Dorothea means gift of God (greek origin), while Thea means Goddess (Greek origin).
In US records, Dorothea first appears in 0 and Thea in 1880, so Dorothea has the longer recorded history.