Ann vs Dorothy
Ann and Dorothycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1956, Ann was ranked #34 and Dorothy #86 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 1957, Ann was ranked #53 and Dorothy #95 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ann was ranked #1406 and Dorothy #193 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ann was ranked #443 and Dorothy #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Ann and Dorothy over time
Ann and Dorothy appear together in 2 published lists, across 76 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Ann reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Dorothy in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Ann and Dorothy were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 47 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #443 and #544.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ann #4 in 1964, Dorothy #95 in 1964.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls47 shared years, 1964–2025
Ann held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Dorothy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ann #4 in 1964, Dorothy #95 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ann #443, Dorothy #544.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ann held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Dorothy in 16.
Highest recorded here: Ann #539 in 1996, Dorothy #175 in 2020.
The order changed in 2009: Dorothy moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #804 and #859; by 2009 that had become #1022 and #701.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ann #1406, Dorothy #193.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Ann | Dorothy |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | ||
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #443 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #544 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ann has 1 syllable, compared with 3 for Dorothy.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Ann
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #82 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #443 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Dorothy
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1954–1957
Highest recorded position: #75 among girls in New Zealand, in 1956 (recorded 1954–1957).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls