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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
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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 bruton1 p. 26, Dorethy ibid. p. 108, Dorythe BarnstapleBap p. 9; 1555 Dorythe ibid. p. 9; 1556 Dorethe bruton1 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 bruton1 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 bruton1 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 bruton1 p. 34; 1565 Dorithe Bar-in-El p. 11, Dority StAnthonlin p. 17, Dorothy BUmar-vol9 p. 4; 1566 Dorithe bruton1 p. 36; 1567 Dorethe ibid. p. 5, Dorithe ibid. p. 36, Dority StAnthonlin p. 18; 1568 Dorethe bruton1 p. 37, Dorrothie COmar-vol5 p. 84; 1569 Dority StAnthonlin p. 20; 1570 Dorethe bruton1 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 bruton1 p. 40, Dorothy DEmar-vol1 p. 82; 1573 Dorethe bruton1 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 bruton1 p. 7, Dorothe RegBath p. 4; 1578 Dorothy BEmar-vol2 p. 54; 1579 Doratie CAmar-vol1 p. 3; 1580 Dorathe BEmar-vol1 p. 10, Dorethy BEmar-vol2 p. 129, Dorithe bruton1 p. 115, Dorothe BEmar-vol2 p. 3, bruton1 p. 44; 1581 Dorithe SaxhamSf p. 3; 1582 Dorathy COmar-vol5 p. 127, Dorethe bruton1 p. 44, Dorothy BUmar-vol2 p. 63, BUmar-vol9 p. 6; 1583 Dorathy COmar-vol2 p. 71, Dorethe bruton1 p. 45; 1584 Dorathe BEmar-vol1 p. 11, Dority StAnthonlin p. 30, Dorothye HAmar-vol9 p. 50, Dorritie OrpingtonKe p. 7; 1585 Dorethe bruton1 p. 46; 1585/6 Dorithe ibid. p. 116; 1585 Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 11; 1586 Dorethe bruton1 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 bruton1 p. 47; 1588 Dorethe ibid. p. 117, Dority StAnthonlin p. 32, Dorothye BEmar-vol2 p. 130; 1589 Dorethe bruton1 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 bruton1 p. 10, Doretie BEmar-vol2 p. 131, Dority StAnthonlin p. 35, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 24; 1593/4 Dorathye BEmar-vol1 p. 16, Dorethe bruton1 p. 121; 1593 Dority StAnthonlin p. 36, Dorothy DEmar-vol2 p. 26, Dorythy COmar-vol5 p. 9; 1594 Dorethe bruton1 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 bruton1 p. 54, Doroty HAmar-vol9 p. 140, Doryty StAnthonlin p. 37; 1596 Dorethe bruton1 p. 55, Doritie OrpingtonKe p. 9, Dority StAnthonlin p. 37, Dorothe RegSoAMar p. 17, 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 2019, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2019/1/name/Dorothy.