Fun Facts About the Name Dory
- More than 1 thousand babies named Dory: U.S. records list 1,092 babies given the name Dory from 1880 through 2025. Even 124 boys received the name Dory - about 1 boy for every 8 girls.
What Does the Name Dory Mean?
Dory is an English short form of Dorothy, which comes from Greek Dōrothea, a compound of dōron ("gift") and theos ("God"). The literal sense is therefore "gift of God." The same two elements in reverse order form Theodora, which has also been shortened to Dory. Because Dory is normally a pet form rather than a name coined on its own, it carries the meaning of the longer name it shortens.
Dory has also been used as a shortening of Dora and Doris. Those names have separate, partly uncertain etymologies and are not the source of the meaning above. The English word dory for a fish, as in John Dory, is unrelated: it descends from Old French dorée, "gilded."
Dory Name History & Origins
Dory belongs to the group of -y pet forms that English speakers have made from longer names since the Middle Ages, in this case Dorothy. Dorothy entered English use through the medieval cult of Saint Dorothea of Caesarea, a martyr of the early fourth century whose legend spread through western Europe. By the later Middle Ages Dorothy was a common English name, and affectionate shortenings such as Dolly, Dot, Dora, and Dory followed. Dory has also been used on its own as a given name, most often for girls but occasionally for boys, where it can shorten Isidore.
In the 2000s the name became familiar through the forgetful blue tang Dory in the animated films Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016). This is a well-known fictional use, not the name's origin; Dory was already in use as a personal name and as a shortening of Dorothy before those films.
How Popular is the Name Dory?
Dory has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1964. Its best rank was #2,045 in 1964.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,248 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #9,700 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #10,514 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #12,813 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #12,844 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #11,949 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #14,828 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #12,487 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #12,767 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #15,957 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #9,714 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #8,866 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #8,021 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #7,176 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #8,668 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #11,310 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,024 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #9,722 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #9,503 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #10,055 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #10,899 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #9,839 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,255 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #6,706 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #10,530 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #11,228 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,887 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #5,371 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1986 | #7,275 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,439 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #8,405 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,349 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #9,539 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #5,654 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #4,378 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #5,846 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #3,218 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1977 | #2,932 | 27 | 0.0018% |
| 1976 | #3,209 | 22 | 0.0015% |
| 1975 | #3,668 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1974 | #2,699 | 27 | 0.0018% |
| 1973 | #3,264 | 20 | 0.0014% |
| 1972 | #2,324 | 32 | 0.0021% |
| 1971 | #2,683 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1970 | #2,873 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1969 | #2,938 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1968 | #3,358 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1967 | #2,991 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1966 | #4,590 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #3,299 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1964 | #2,045 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1963 | #3,862 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1962 | #2,222 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1961 | #2,423 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1960 | #2,208 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1959 | #2,698 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 1958 | #3,002 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1957 | #2,506 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1956 | #2,337 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1955 | #2,174 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1954 | #2,464 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1953 | #4,327 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1952 | #2,430 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1951 | #2,840 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1950 | #3,277 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1949 | #5,451 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #4,901 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #3,475 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | #7,026 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,829 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #5,778 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #6,632 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,988 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #5,257 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #5,111 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #3,392 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #2,568 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1971 | #4,546 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #2,941 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #4,572 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #4,292 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #3,366 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #4,211 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1960 | #4,178 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #3,635 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,873 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1919 | #4,322 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
