Dorcas
Feminine · “gazelle”
Dorcas is the Greek word for a gazelle, and the book of Acts gives it as a translation — the woman's Aramaic name was Tabitha, and both mean the same animal.
How old is the name Dorcas?
Dorcas was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Dorcas alive today was born around 1945, making them about 80 years old. About 3,700 people named Dorcas are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dorcas most popular?
Dorcas peaked in 1880, reaching #518 nationally. Today it ranks #3975, 3,457 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From dorkas to Dorcas
The story of Dorcas
Acts describes Tabitha of Joppa as a woman full of good works who made clothes for widows; when she dies, Peter is sent for and raises her. The text gives both her Aramaic name and its Greek translation, which is a small window on a bilingual community. English Puritans took Dorcas up after the Reformation and sewing circles for the poor were called Dorcas societies into the twentieth century.
Meaning
gazelle
From Greek dorkas, a gazelle, probably from a verb meaning to see, for the animal's eyes. Acts names a woman as Tabitha, which is Aramaic for the same creature, and glosses it as Dorcas for Greek readers.
How the name formed
- dorkas
- Dorcas
Related forms: Tabitha · Δορκάς
Pronouncing Dorcas
DOR-kus
Two syllables, first stressed. There is no variation in English.
Nicknames for Dorcas
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
- 1921140 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #518reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- +38.5%36 in 2025, from 26
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.
Dorcas in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Tabitha in Aramaic — same name
- Δορκάς in Greek — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Ohio, New York.
Dorcass among us
people named Dorcas are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 44,646 born in 2025 was named Dorcas
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
Dorcas 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 Dorcas is headed
Dorcas is easing off slowly — about 17% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Dorcas beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Dorcas in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning tied to a real and rather beautiful animal.
- A documented biblical figure with a genuinely admirable record.
- Substantial nineteenth-century American use behind it.
- The second syllable is unfortunate in an English ear and children will use it.
- Tabitha is the same name in Aramaic and is far more used now.
- It reads as strongly Victorian, which is either the point or a difficulty.
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What they receive
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Dorcas
Feminine · #3975 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Dorcass are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,700 people named Dorcas are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dorcas in 2025?
- Dorcas ranks #3975 among US girl names in 2025, with 36 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Dorcas?
- About 1 in every 44,646 US girls born in 2025 was named Dorcas — 36 in all.
- Will my child share the name Dorcas with classmates?
- Dorcas will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Dorcas
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Bradley#3975 · Jodi#3975 · An#3975 · Ilianna#3975 · Saja#3975 · Ansleigh#3975 · Sarayah#3975 · Rubie#3975
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dorcas? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dorcas and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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