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