| Dorothy | Harper | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Harp player |
| Origin | english | English |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DOR-ə-thee | HAR-per |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1971 |
| Peak year | 1924 (39,996) | 2016 (10,803) |
| In 2025 | 743 | 6,792 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dorothy | Harper |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,984 | 47,509 |
| 2010s | 3,958 | 85,193 |
| 2000s | 2,717 | 5,671 |
| 1990s | 4,211 | 563 |
| 1980s | 7,143 | 82 |
| 1970s | 11,664 | 45 |
| 1960s | 33,011 | 0 |
| 1950s | 74,475 | 0 |
| 1940s | 132,257 | 0 |
| 1930s | 210,415 | 0 |
| 1920s | 368,875 | 0 |
| 1910s | 207,475 | 0 |
| 1900s | 39,112 | 0 |
| 1890s | 10,846 | 0 |
| 1880s | 2,088 | 0 |
English form of Dorothea, from Greek doron 'gift' + theos 'God', meaning 'gift of God'. Same elements as Theodore reversed.
Harper is an English occupational surname for someone who played or made harps. Boosted by the novelist Harper Lee, it became a hugely popular girls’ name.
Harper is more popular than Dorothy today: about 6,792 US babies were given the name Harper in 2025, compared with 743 named Dorothy.
Dorothy means gift of God (english origin), while Harper means Harp player (English origin).
In US records, Dorothy first appears in 1880 and Harper in 1971, so Dorothy has the longer recorded history.