NameCensus.

UK surname

Dorothy

A surname derived from the Old English words "dor" (door) and "þeg" (servant or keeper), meaning a door keeper or gatekeeper.

In the 1881 census there were 42 people recorded with the Dorothy surname, ranking it #27,721 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 133, ranked #25,765, up from #27,721 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dorothy is 151 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 216.7%.

1881 census count

42

Ranked #27,721

Modern count

133

2016, ranked #25,765

Peak year

1911

151 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dorothy had 42 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,721 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016, ranked #25,765.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 151 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Dorothy surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dorothy surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dorothy surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dorothy over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 43 #25,518
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 42 #27,721
1891 historical 101 #23,870
1901 historical 74 #25,958
1911 historical 151 #17,797
1997 modern 114 #24,967
1998 modern 119 #24,918
1999 modern 113 #25,913
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 99 #28,082
2003 modern 99 #27,871
2004 modern 100 #27,964
2005 modern 104 #27,369
2006 modern 110 #26,717
2007 modern 110 #27,087
2008 modern 110 #27,391
2009 modern 109 #28,145
2010 modern 112 #28,336
2011 modern 112 #28,117
2012 modern 115 #27,717
2013 modern 128 #26,336
2014 modern 126 #26,781
2015 modern 132 #25,859
2016 modern 133 #25,765

Geography

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Where Dorothys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes, Gateshead and St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Tyneside. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Tyneside 018 South Tyneside
2 South Tyneside 008 South Tyneside
3 South Tyneside 013 South Tyneside
4 South Tyneside 004 South Tyneside
5 South Tyneside 011 South Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dorothy

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dorothy surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dorothy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dorothy, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Dorothy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dorothy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Dorothy is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dorothy is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dorothy falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dorothy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
Other Ethnic Group

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dorothy, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dorothy

The surname DOROTHY does not actually exist as a true hereditary family name. It is a feminine given name derived from the Greek name Dorothea, which means "gift of God" from the elements doron "gift" and theos "god". The name was borne by an early Christian martyr of the 4th century, and became widespread due to veneration of this saint.

The name is ultimately derived from the Greek island of Doris, an ancient district in the region of Thessaly. The name was likely first adopted as a surname by people who hailed from this region or had some association with it. Early records show the name rendered in various forms like Dorothee, Dorathea, and Dorodye before the modern English spelling stabilized.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Dorothy Plantagenet (1355-1426), the daughter of Thomas Plantagenet, 1st Earl of Gloucester and Eleanor de Bohun. She married Robert de Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Wem. Another early figure was Dorothy Stafford (1491-1555), an English noblewoman and benefactor who founded a religious house in Staffordshire.

Dorothy Vaughan (1910-2008) was an African American mathematician and computer programmer who made important contributions to the early U.S. space program. She led the West Area Computers division for NASA's precursor, NACA, and was later played by Octavia Spencer in the 2016 film Hidden Figures.

Dorothy Leigh Sayers (1893-1957) was a renowned English crime writer and poet, best known for her series of novels featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. She was also a student of classical and modern languages and an outspoken Anglican Christian.

Other notable bearers include Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994), a British chemist who won the Nobel Prize in 1964, and Dorothy Day (1897-1980), an American journalist and social activist who co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dorothy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dorothy surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Devon leads with 15 Dorothys recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.59x.

County Total Index
Devon 15 17.59x
Middlesex 9 2.20x
Durham 6 4.92x
Worcestershire 5 9.35x
Warwickshire 3 2.90x
Hampshire 1 1.19x
Kent 1 0.72x
Lancashire 1 0.21x
Sussex 1 1.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Exeter St Thomas The in Devon leads with 7 Dorothys recorded in 1881 and an index of 804.60x.

Place Total Index
Exeter St Thomas The 7 804.60x
Poplar London 7 90.56x
Exeter St Leonard 6 2608.70x
Westoe 6 86.83x
Aston 3 10.55x
Wolverley 3 638.30x
Islington London 2 5.04x
Kidderminster Borough 2 63.90x
Chatham 1 26.04x
Dawlish 1 156.25x
Liverpool 1 3.39x
Morchard Bishop 1 555.56x
Portsea 1 6.08x
Wadhurst 1 222.22x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dorothy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Elizabeth 5
Mary 4
Ann 2
Eliza 2
Agnes 1
Caroline 1
Ellen 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dorothy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 4
William 4
Walter 3
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
Jas. 1
Phillip 1
Thomas 1
Watler 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Dorothy households.

FAQ

Dorothy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dorothy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 42 people were recorded with the Dorothy surname. That placed it at #27,721 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dorothy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016. That gives Dorothy a modern rank of #25,765.

What does the Dorothy surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English words "dor" (door) and "þeg" (servant or keeper), meaning a door keeper or gatekeeper.

What does the Dorothy map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dorothy bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.