Unisex name ★ peaked 2000

Dorian

Gender Unisex · 16% girls Rank 2025 #539 Trend → Stable

A male given name from Ancient Greek, famously used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891).

Rank 2025
#539
among boys · ↓1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
564
named Dorian · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,067
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2000
703 babies
All-time total
28,728
#756 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Dorian popularity over time

28,728 babies have been named Dorian since 1915, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 7 16 23 2 – #2,884
1920s 44 57 101 10 +339% #2,696
1930s 35 60 95 10 -6% #2,197
1940s 149 308 457 46 +381% #845
1950s 511 532 1,043 104 +128% #893
1960s 497 783 1,280 128 +23% #676
1970s 715 2,114 2,829 283 +121% #456
1980s 902 2,256 3,158 316 +12% #524
1990s 859 3,862 4,721 472 +49% #505
2000s 536 5,893 6,429 643 +36% #398
2010s 211 5,145 5,356 536 -17% #503
2020s (to 2025) 75 3,161 3,236 539 +1% #512

Where Dorian is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 559 0.33 outside top 500
2027 560 0.33 outside top 500
2028 561 0.33 outside top 500
2029 562 0.33 outside top 500
2030 563 0.33 outside top 500

Where Dorian is most popular

Boys named Dorian per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.301 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, Oregon, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Dorian born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Arizona 110 0.672 +123%
Oregon 42 0.553 +84%
California 475 0.520 +72%
New Mexico 17 0.516 +71%
Colorado 66 0.511 +70%
Nevada 29 0.509 +69%
Alabama 41 0.375 +24%
Missouri 50 0.361 +20%
Utah 34 0.356 +18%
Louisiana 36 0.352 +17%
North Carolina 89 0.349 +16%
Washington 57 0.348 +16%
Texas 305 0.346 +15%
Oklahoma 30 0.339 +13%
District of Columbia 5 0.339 +12%
Tennessee 61 0.338 +12%
Wisconsin 40 0.338 +12%
Virginia 59 0.311 ≈ national
South Carolina 32 0.310 ≈ national
New Jersey 62 0.308 ≈ national
Georgia 78 0.308 ≈ national
Illinois 78 0.305 ≈ national
Michigan 62 0.303 ≈ national
Florida 134 0.283 -6%
New York 120 0.277 -8%
Pennsylvania 73 0.275 -9%
Indiana 44 0.274 -9%
Maryland 31 0.260 -14%
Kentucky 25 0.249 -17%
Ohio 58 0.219 -27%
Minnesota 26 0.212 -30%
Connecticut 13 0.192 -36%
Arkansas 11 0.174 -42%
Massachusetts 23 0.167 -44%
Kansas 11 0.160 -47%
Iowa 5 0.073 -76%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Dorian

Dorian is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #539 in 2025 with 557 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 28,728 American babies have been named Dorian, about 84% boys and 16% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2000, when 703 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Dorian stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Dorian?

The median living Dorian is about 24 years old; half are between 12 and 38. An estimated 27 thousand people named Dorian are alive in the United States today.

median 24 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Dorian year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 7 #12,245 557 #539
2024 5 #15,921 554 #538
2023 13 #8,176 468 #605
2022 15 #7,372 526 #564
2021 18 #6,471 497 #567
2020 17 #6,713 559 #512
2019 15 #7,459 560 #511
2018 20 #6,089 545 #521
2017 12 #8,939 527 #538
2016 24 #5,499 531 #544
2015 23 #5,709 512 #560
2014 19 #6,522 516 #539
2013 25 #5,362 486 #546
2012 22 #5,960 464 #560
2011 21 #6,206 490 #522
2010 30 #4,775 514 #503
2009 30 #4,841 524 #513
2008 43 #3,729 641 #441
2007 43 #3,734 542 #490
2006 44 #3,577 578 #465
2005 47 #3,281 625 #428
2004 66 #2,536 595 #435
2003 60 #2,647 560 #449
2002 64 #2,475 586 #419
2001 75 #2,177 603 #416
2000 64 #2,412 639 #398
1995 91 #1,627 409 #505
1990 62 #2,107 358 #520
1985 76 #1,578 225 #583
1980 94 #1,342 165 #675
1975 69 #1,486 223 #538
1970 43 #1,958 146 #686
1965 34 #2,005 58 #970
1960 88 #1,164 55 #1,036
1955 50 #1,429 69 #893
1950 37 #1,532 42 #1,090
1945 17 #2,085 32 #1,167
1940 6 #3,979 10 #2,366
1935 5 #4,380 7 #3,035
1930 – – – –
1925 5 #5,161 5 #4,373
1920 6 #4,523 7 #3,574
1915 – – 8 #2,884
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Dorian

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Dorian Yates Dorian Yates English bodybuilder (born 1962) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dorian Harewood Dorian Harewood American actor (born 1950) Contemporary
  3. 3 Dorian Gregory Dorian Gregory American actor and television host b. 1971 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Dorian Babunski Dorian Babunski Macedonian footballer (born 1996) Contemporary
  5. 5 Dorian van Rijsselberghe Dorian van Rijsselberghe Dutch windsurfer (born 1988) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Dorian, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Dorian?

The median living Dorian is about 24 years old. Half of all living Dorians are between 12 and 38 years old.

How many people named Dorian are alive today?

An estimated 27 thousand people named Dorian are alive in the United States, based on 28,728 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dorian mean?

A male given name from Ancient Greek, famously used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891).

How popular is the name Dorian in 2025?

Dorian ranked #539 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 557 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Dorian?

28,728 babies have been named Dorian in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dorian most popular?

Dorian peaked in 2000, when 703 newborns received the name.

Is Dorian a boy or girl name?

Dorian is used for both: about 16% of babies named Dorian have been girls and 84% boys.

Is the name Dorian rising or falling?

Dorian is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Dorian become more popular?

Dorian looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 563 boys named Dorian in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Dorian?

Well-known people named Dorian include Dorian Yates (athlete), Dorian Harewood (actor), Dorian Gregory (actor).

Names like Dorian

Names that sound and feel close to Dorian: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Dorian with similar names → More names starting with D →