Docia
Feminine · “giving”
Docia is the back of Theodosia — gift of God — taken as a name of its own, which leaves the divine element behind and keeps the giving.
How old is the name Docia?
Docia was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Docia alive today was born around 1914, making them about 111 years old. About 200 people named Docia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Docia most popular?
Docia peaked in 1880, reaching #317 nationally. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From theos dosis to Docia
The story of Docia
Theodosia and Eudocia were Byzantine names, carried by empresses and saints, and both reached English through Christian scholarship rather than through ordinary speech. American families of the nineteenth century used Theodosia and clipped it to Docia and Dosia. Docia appears in the registers through the period and peaked around 1885.
Meaningscholars disagree
giving, gift
Through Theodosia, from the Greek theos, 'god', and dosis, 'giving' — so 'gift of God'. The clipped Docia retains the dosis element. A second route runs through Eudocia, from eudokia, 'good will' or 'satisfaction', which is the word used in the Gospel account of the nativity.
How the name formed
- theos dosis
- Theodosia
- Docia
Related forms: Θεοδοσία · Dosia · Feodosia
Pronouncing Docia
DOH-shuh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Some bearers say DOH-see-uh with three.
Nicknames for Docia
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 189033 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #317reached in 1880
- Change vs 1975
- 0.0%5 in 1980, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Docia in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Θεοδοσία in Greek — transliteration
- Dosia in English — spelling variant
- Feodosia in Russian — related form
Docias among us
people named Docia are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Docia sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Theodosia stands behind it with a documented Byzantine imperial history.
- The gift meaning is transparent and attractive.
- It is unusual enough to be encountered almost nowhere else.
- The parent name is split between two Greek originals.
- The pronunciation splits between two and three syllables.
- It is strongly period-coded to the nineteenth century.
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Docia
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Docias are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Docia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Docia in 2025?
- Docia is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Docia with classmates?
- Docia will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
Dorothy#421 · Donna#1962 · Deborah#862 · Debra#4460 · Diane#2607 · Doris#2895 · Denise#1673 · Danielle#549
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Docia? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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