| Dorothy | Joan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | God is gracious |
| Origin | english | english |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DOR-ə-thee | JOHN |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1924 (39,996) | 1932 (21,044) |
| In 2025 | 743 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dorothy | Joan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,984 | 1,031 |
| 2010s | 3,958 | 941 |
| 2000s | 2,717 | 1,003 |
| 1990s | 4,211 | 1,858 |
| 1980s | 7,143 | 3,300 |
| 1970s | 11,664 | 6,480 |
| 1960s | 33,011 | 36,676 |
| 1950s | 74,475 | 85,179 |
| 1940s | 132,257 | 117,708 |
| 1930s | 210,415 | 173,439 |
| 1920s | 368,875 | 45,351 |
| 1910s | 207,475 | 7,021 |
| 1900s | 39,112 | 863 |
| 1890s | 10,846 | 267 |
| 1880s | 2,088 | 121 |
English form of Dorothea, from Greek doron 'gift' + theos 'God', meaning 'gift of God'. Same elements as Theodore reversed.
A medieval English feminine of John, from Old French Johanne, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' ('Yahweh is gracious'). Like Jane, it descends from John rather than from Hannah.
Dorothy is more popular than Joan today: about 743 US babies were given the name Dorothy in 2025, compared with 0 named Joan.
Dorothy means gift of God (english origin), while Joan means God is gracious (english origin).
In US records, Dorothy first appears in 1880 and Joan in 0, so Joan has the longer recorded history.