Dorothy vs Ursula
Dorothy and Ursulacompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Dorothy was ranked #193 and Ursula #2574 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2012, Dorothy was ranked #907 and Ursula #907 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Dorothy and Ursula over time
Dorothy and Ursula appear together in 2 published lists, across 62 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.
Ursula 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Dorothy and Ursula changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #193 and #2574.
- Longest-running competitions
Dorothy and Ursula were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 33 years, from 1964 to 2012, ending at #907 and #907.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Dorothy #95 in 1964, Ursula #98 in 1964.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls33 shared years, 1964–2012
Dorothy held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Ursula in 24.
Highest recorded here: Dorothy #95 in 1964, Ursula #98 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Dorothy #907, Ursula #907.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Dorothy held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Ursula in 4.
Highest recorded here: Dorothy #175 in 2020, Ursula #983 in 1997.
The order changed in 2004: Dorothy moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #1325 and #996; by 2004 that had become #1072 and #1836.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Dorothy #193, Ursula #2574.
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 | Dorothy | Ursula |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #544 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #2574 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Dorothy and Ursula both have 3 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
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
Ursula
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #98 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2012
Highest recorded position: #98 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2012).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2574 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls