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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Dorothy f. Greek δῶρον 'gift' + Greek θεός 'god'.

The name of two 4th C virgin martyrs, a 14th C Prussian saint, a 15th C queen consort of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, a 15th C queen consort of Bosnia, and two 16th C queens consort of Denmark and Norway.

Cf. Theodora, of identical etymology. The name did not become common in England until the 16th C.

Belgium
Dutch
1597x1598 Dorothea BoonenGes p. 322
Czech Republic
Latin
1351 Dorothee (dat) chlumecky 11
1350 Dorothca (nom) chlumecky 192
Denmark
Danish
1581 Dorethe KD-1 no. 362
England
Latin
1555 Dorothea (nom) StMartF p. 58; 1558 Dorethea (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 1; 1563 Dorothia (nom) Chst-1 p. 11; 1595 Doretha (nom) HAmar-vol9 p. 51
Early Modern English
1530 Dorethe LIWill-III p. 76, Dorothe ibid. p. 35; 1539 Dority StAnthonlin p. 1; 1540 Dorritye ibid. p. 2; 1542 Dority ibid. p. 3; 1543 Dorithe BarnstapleBap p. 3, Dorothy DEmar-vol1 p. 78; 1544 Dorety StAnthonlin p. 4, Dority ibid. p. 5, Doritye ibid. p. 5; 1546 Dorothy DEmar-vol1 p. 78; 1546/7 Dorothy ExMar 1b; 1547 Dorythe BarnstapleBap p. 6; 1551 Dorothy BEmar-vol1 p. 4, Dorythe BarnstapleBap p. 7; 1552 Dorothe ibid. p. 7, Dorythe ibid. p. 7; 1553 Dorithe ibid. p. 8; 1554 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 26, Dorethy ibid. p. 108, Dorythe BarnstapleBap p. 9; 1555 Dorythe ibid. p. 9; 1556 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 2, Dorithy PRThirsk p. 1; 1556/57 Dorythe ibid. p. 1, Dorythee ibid. p. 2; 1557 Dorithe ibid. p. 3, Dorithee ibid. p. 3, Dority StAnthonlin p. 12, Dorothee PRThirsk p. 3; 1558 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 29, Dorithe ibid. p. 29, Dorithie ibid. p. 29; 1560 Dority StAnthonlin p. 13, Dorothe BEmar-vol2 p. 1, Dorothy DEmar-vol1 p. 80; 1561 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 31, Doritie OrpingtonKe p. 1, Dority StAnthonlin p. 14, Dorothy DEmar-vol1 p. 80; 1562 Dorothe BarnstapleBap p. 12, Dorothy BEmar-vol2 p. 95, BUmar-vol2 p. 60, Dorytie BarnstapleBap p. 12, Doryty ibid. p. 12; 1564 Dorathy COmar-vol2 p. 69, Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 34; 1565 Dorithe Bar-in-El p. 11, Dority StAnthonlin p. 17, Dorothy BUmar-vol9 p. 4; 1566 Dorithe bruton-vol1 p. 36; 1567 Dorethe ibid. p. 5, Dorithe ibid. p. 36, Dority StAnthonlin p. 18; 1568 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 37, Dorrothie COmar-vol5 p. 84; 1569 Dority StAnthonlin p. 20; 1570 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 38; 1571 Dorethe ibid. p. 6, Dorothy BEmar-vol2 p. 95, WAmar-1 p. 131; 1572 Doratie CAmar-vol1 p. 2, Dority StAnthonlin p. 22, Dorothe bruton-vol1 p. 40, Dorothy DEmar-vol1 p. 82; 1573 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 6, Dorethye BEmar-vol2 p. 129, Dorothie Bar-in-El p. 19, Dorothy BUmar-vol9 p. 5; 1574 Doryty StAnthonlin p. 24; 1575 Dorite BUmar-vol1 p. 25; 1576 Dority StAnthonlin p. 25; 1577 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 7; 1578 Dorothy BEmar-vol2 p. 54; 1579 Doratie CAmar-vol1 p. 3; 1580 Dorathe BEmar-vol1 p. 10, Dorethy BEmar-vol2 p. 129, Dorothe ibid. p. 3, bruton-vol1 p. 44; 1581 Dorithe SaxhamSf p. 3; 1582 Dorathy COmar-vol5 p. 127, Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 44, Dorothy BUmar-vol2 p. 63, BUmar-vol9 p. 6; 1583 Dorathy COmar-vol2 p. 71, Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 45; 1584 Dorathe BEmar-vol1 p. 11, Dority StAnthonlin p. 30, Dorothye HAmar-vol9 p. 50, Dorritie OrpingtonKe p. 7; 1585 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 46, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 11; 1586 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 46, Dority StAnthonlin p. 32, Dorothan WAmar-1 p. 109, Dorothie Bar-in-El p. 15, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 12; 1587 Dorathe BEmar-vol1 p. 12, Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 47; 1588 Dority StAnthonlin p. 32, Dorothye BEmar-vol2 p. 130; 1589 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 48, Dority StAnthonlin p. 33, Dorothy BEmar-vol2 p. 54, DEmar-vol1 p. 86, DEmar-vol2 p. 17; 1590 Dorathy COmar-vol2 p. 72, Doretie BEmar-vol2 p. 130, Dorithie SaxhamSf p. 40; 1591 Dorothy BUmar-vol2 p. 65, DEmar-vol2 p. 22; 1592 Dorathe BEmar-vol1 p. 15, Dorathy ibid. p. 15, Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 10, Doretie BEmar-vol2 p. 131, Dority StAnthonlin p. 35, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 24; 1593/4 Dorathye BEmar-vol1 p. 16; 1593 Dority StAnthonlin p. 36, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 26, Dorythy COmar-vol5 p. 9; 1594 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 54, Dorethye BEmar-vol2 p. 131, Doretye HAmar-vol9 p. 92, Dority StAnthonlin p. 37, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 29, WAmar-1 p. 98; 1595 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 54, Doroty HAmar-vol9 p. 140, Doryty StAnthonlin p. 37; 1596 Dorethe bruton-vol1 p. 55, Doritie OrpingtonKe p. 9, Dority StAnthonlin p. 37, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 33; 1597 Dorithy SaxhamSf p. 5, Dority StAnthonlin p. 38; 1599 Dorothe BUmar-vol1 p. 27, Dorothy DEmar-vol1 p. 88, DEmar-vol2 p. 41
Germany
Latin
1426 Dorothea (nom) mairhofer DCCXXIII, Dorotheam (acc) ibid. DCCXXIII, Dorothee (gen) ibid. DCCXXIII
Early New High German
1409 Dorothean (acc) UrkJen2 17; 1424 Dorothee (nom) mairhofer DCCXX; 1497 Dorotea Nurn1497 989, Dorothea ibid. 529
Italy
Latin
1527 Dorothea (nom) Rome1527 p. 87
Latvia
Middle Low German
1522 Dorttye Arbusow p. 97
Lithuania
Polish
1545 Dorota (nom) Kaunas2006 p. 82, 90
Ukraine
Latin
1469 Dorothea (nom) AGZ-18 19, Dorotheam (acc) ibid. 19, Dorothee (gen) ibid. 19
Wales
Latin
1581 Dorothea (nom) RegCon1 p. 36
Cite as: R. Le Get, S.L. Uckelman. "Dorothy". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2017, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2017/1/name/Dorothy.