Dora
Girl name · #2387 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Dora? In official American birth records, Dora has been tracked continuously since 1880, giving it 145 years of documented American history.
Dora ranks #2387 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 75 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1972, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 24,000 girls born in 2025 was named Dora.
The 145-year story
Dora first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 524 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1921, when 2,026 girls were named Dora — good for #130 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Dora per year. Source: Official national birth records.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Dora against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Dora in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Dora is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Dora will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Dora is most common
State-level data for Dora is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Nicknames & related forms of Dora
Dora belongs to the Theodora family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Theodora family went to about 1,326 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #234, versus #2387 for Dora alone.
Names like Dora
Statistically, parents drawn to Dora tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Ora, Edna, Irma, Elvira, and Hilda.
OraEdnaIrmaElviraHildaOlgaInaElva
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Dora | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 75 | #2387 |
| 2024 | 68 | #2585 |
| 2023 | 68 | #2588 |
| 2022 | 71 | #2510 |
| 2021 | 82 | #2251 |
| 2020 | 73 | #2394 |
| 2019 | 102 | #1933 |
| 2018 | 75 | #2404 |
| 2017 | 100 | #1976 |
| 2016 | 111 | #1857 |
| 2015 | 101 | #1972 |
| 2014 | 88 | #2154 |
| 2013 | 78 | #2344 |
| 2012 | 93 | #2064 |
| 2011 | 88 | #2156 |
| 2010 | 83 | #2296 |
| 2009 | 102 | #2016 |
| 2008 | 93 | #2157 |
| 2007 | 100 | #2034 |
| 2006 | 142 | #1539 |
| 2005 | 155 | #1389 |
| 2004 | 165 | #1294 |
| 2003 | 169 | #1242 |
| 2002 | 164 | #1224 |
| 2001 | 166 | #1218 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Dora?
In official American birth records, the name Dora first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 524 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
Is Dora a popular girl name?
Dora ranked #2387 among girls in 2025 with 75 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1972.
When was the name Dora most popular?
Dora peaked in 1921, when 2,026 American girls received the name (ranked #130 that year). Since 1921 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Dora?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 24,000 newborn American girls was named Dora. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.