Doralee
Feminine · “gift”
Doralee joins Dora to Lee in one easy, rolling name, and it has a famous fictional bearer: Doralee Rhodes, the secretary Dolly Parton played in the 1980 film 9 to 5, alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
How old is the name Doralee?
Doralee first appears in US birth records in 1916 — 109 years ago. The typical Doralee alive today was born around 1941, making them about 84 years old. About 300 people named Doralee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Doralee most popular?
Doralee peaked in 1925, reaching #1946 nationally. See the whole 1925 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From dōron (Greek: gift) to Doralee
The story of Doralee
Dora stood on its own as a name by the nineteenth century, and Lee was a surname taken into first names; Doralee runs the two together into one word, and nothing records who first did so. Its best-known bearer is fictional: in 9 to 5, Parton's Doralee Rhodes is the secretary the whole office misjudges, and she ends up, with her two colleagues, running the place better than the boss ever did. Parton also wrote and sang the film's title song.
Meaning
gift, and clearing
Dora is a short form of Dorothy and Theodora, from Greek dōron, gift; Lee is an English surname from leah, a woodland clearing. The compound keeps both, though no record says the pairing was built for its meaning.
How the name formed
- dōronGreek: gift
- Dorothea, Theodora
- Dora
- Dora + Lee
- Doralee
Pronouncing Doralee
DOR-uh-lee
Three syllables, stressed on the first.
Nicknames for Doralee
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
- 1916
- Most girls named
- 192520 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1946reached in 1925
- Change vs 1993
- +20.0%6 in 2006, 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.
Doralees among us
people named Doralee 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
Doralee 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
- A fictional namesake in 9 to 5 that many people remember warmly.
- Dora is a ready short form with its own long history.
- Spelled exactly as it sounds.
- As one word it may be split into Dora Lee or Dora-Lee on forms, so it helps to say which is the legal form.
- Many listeners will think of Dolly Parton's character first, which is a friendly association to carry.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Doralee to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Doralee? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Doralee
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Doralees are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Doralee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Doralee in 2025?
- Doralee is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Doralee with classmates?
- Doralee 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 Doralee? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Doralee and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle