From Greek 'doron' (gift) and 'theos' (God), meaning 'gift of God'.
Dorothy comes from the Greek Dorothea, formed from doron, meaning "gift," and theos, meaning "God"; its literal sense is "gift of God." The same elements appear in reverse order in Theodore, making Dorothy and Theodore linguistic mirror-images. The name entered Christian tradition early through saints and martyrs, and by the medieval and early modern periods it had become well established across Europe.
Its English form, Dorothy, eventually eclipsed Dorothea in many places, sounding plainer and more domestic while keeping the older sacred meaning. Few names have such a vivid literary afterlife. Dorothy Gale, the Kansas girl at the heart of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, gave the name an enduring aura of courage, imagination, and homespun steadiness; the ruby slippers and yellow brick road still trail behind it.
Earlier, figures such as Dorothy Wordsworth added intellectual and literary association, even if their fame was more intimate than spectacular. In the English-speaking world, Dorothy was especially popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, then declined as it came to seem grandmotherly. That very vintage quality now helps it feel appealing again: sturdy, affectionate, and storybook-rich, with an old Greek blessing hidden inside its familiar sound.