Dora
Feminine · “gift”
Dora is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 105,930 girls against 550 boys since 1880. See Dora as a boy name
Dora is a Greek gift in two syllables, the short form of Dorothea and Theodora that became a name in its own right. It was one of the favorite American girls' names of an earlier age, and Dickens and Picasso both gave it a place in art.
How old is the name Dora?
Dora was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Dora alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 35,000 people named Dora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dora most popular?
Dora peaked in 1881, reaching #46 nationally. Today it ranks #2387, 2,341 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Dora appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From dōron to Dora
The story of Dora
In David Copperfield, Dora Spenlow is the pretty, helpless girl David marries, who asks him to think of her as his child-wife, and whose early death leaves him free to see the woman he should have loved. A century later the photographer Dora Maar became Picasso's companion, and her face, dissolved in grief, is the Weeping Woman he painted in the year of Guernica. The name is recorded for a very few boys, but it is a woman's name everywhere.
Meaning
gift
From Greek dōron, gift, as the short form of Dorothea, gift of God, and Theodora, God's gift.
How the name formed
- dōron
- Dorothea / Theodora
- Dora
Related forms: Dora · Dora · Dora · Dóra
Pronouncing Dora
DOR-uh
Two syllables, stressed on the first.
Nicknames for Dora
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
- 19212,026 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #46reached in 1881
- Change vs 2022
- +5.6%75 in 2025, from 71
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.
Dora in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Dora in Greek — same name
- Dora in Italian — same name
- Dora in Spanish — same name
- Dóra in Hungarian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Doras among us
people named Dora are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 21,430 born in 2025 was named Dora
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Dora sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Dora is headed
Dora should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Dora beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Dora in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Its meaning, gift, is clear and lovely.
- It is short, classic and easy to spell.
- It is rare among young children now, so it stands out.
- Many children know it first from the cartoon Dora the Explorer.
- A very few boys have been given it; for them it will read as a girl's name everywhere.
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What they receive
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Dora
Feminine · #2387 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Doras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 35,000 people named Dora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dora in 2025?
- Dora ranks #2387 among US girl names in 2025, with 75 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Dora?
- About 1 in every 21,430 US girls born in 2025 was named Dora — 75 in all.
- Will my child share the name Dora with classmates?
- Dora will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Dora
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rena#2387 · Yana#2387 · Eviana#2387 · Mariyah#2387 · Jeanette#2387 · Maiya#2387 · Shannon#2387 · Suzanne#2387
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dora? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dora and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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