Girl · Ancient Greek
Dorcas
Say it: DOR-kus
Meaning
Greek dorkas, 'gazelle', translating the Aramaic name Tabitha.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A Puritan name that also gave its name to Victorian 'Dorcas societies' that sewed clothing for the poor.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1910s
In the United States
- 7,135 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1911, about 1 in 9,500 girls
- 34 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
Used by
The family of the name
| French | Dorcas |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Dorcas |
| German | Dorkas |
| Greek | Dorkas |
| Aramaic | Tabitha |
Famous bearers
- Dorcas, also called Tabitha, in Acts 9
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Puritan church and town records of England and New England
- Parish baptism registers
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.