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The short answer
Dorian is a masculine name used in English and French. Behind the Name describes it this way: "The name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians." It ranked #539 for boys in the United States in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
According to Behind the Name, the name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians. The entry lists its usage as English, French, Romanian, Polish.
Editorial confidence: likely
Popularity
Dorian ranked #539 for boys in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #539 | ssa-2025 |
If you like this name
Names that Behind the Name files under the same origin (English) and that sit near Dorian in the 2025 American rankings.
Similar by origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Dorian mean?
Behind the Name does not give Dorian a one-word meaning. It describes the name as follows: the name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Is Dorian a popular name?
Dorian ranked #539 for boys in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Dorian a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data Dorian appears in the boys' list; Behind the Name labels it masculine.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Dorian — supports meaning, usage, pronunciation, variants.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
