Dorian

DOOR-ee-un

Greek, name of a tribe

"stranger, exile"

Dorian Origin and Meaning

The name Dorian is a boy's name of Greek origin.

The Dorians were an ancient Greek tribe, one of the three major pre-Spartan tribes. It literally means "of Doris," a Greek district, or "of Doros," referring to the son of Helen of Sparta. Dorian derives from the Greek doron, meaning "gift," along with related names such as Dorothy and Dora.

Dorian was introduced as a first name by Oscar Wilde in his 1890 novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the story of a narcissistic character who retains his youthful good looks while his portrait in the attic ages grotesquely. Despite this negative reference, Dorian's attributes have kept it consistently on the boys' list since the 1960s.

Dorian also has a musical reference, being the name of one of the modes.

Actor Dorian Harewood has been a familiar presence in movies and on TV.

Rhythmic and unusual, Dorian makes a distinctive choice.

Dorian Rank in US Top 1000

# 608 in the US

Dorian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 129 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Dorian

• 608 US 2023
• 129 Nameberry 2025
• 556 Future 2028
• 730 England 2021
• 95 Poland 2021

20 Names Similar to Dorian

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Dorian.

• Alistair
• Alastair
• Cedric
• Lucian
• Lucien
• Ambrose
• Magnus
• Lysander
• Remus
• Augustus
• Cassius
• Lucius
• Cyrus
• Raphael
• Aurelius
• Marius
• Alaric
• Dante
• Darius
• Leander

Famous People Named Dorian

• Dorian Kingi American stuntman/actor and son of actress Lindsay Wagner
• Dorian Missick American actor
• Dorian Edward West English rugby union player
• Dorian Alan Peña Filipino,Brazilian,American basketball player
• Dorian van Rijsselberghe Dutch windsurfer
• Dorian Jordan son of musician and reality TV personality Stevie J ("Love & Hip Hop Atlanta")
• Dorian Gregory American actor
• (Willie) Dorian Harewood American actor

The name Dorian in Pop Culture

• "The Picture of Dorian Gray " novel by Oscar Wilde
• Dorian Havilliard main character in Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series
• Dorian the DRN Robot character on TV's "Almost Human"
• Dorian Long character on TV's "Moesha"
• Dorian Pavus character in video game "Dragon Age: Inquisition"
• Dorian Lagatos main character in 2004 film "Dorian Blues"
• Dorian Hawkmoon character in Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series
• Dorian Heywood character on TV sitcom "A Different World"
• Jonathan Michael "J.D." Dorian character on TV's "Scrubs"
• "Dorian " song by Danish musician Agnes Obel
• Hurricane Dorian devastating Category 5 storm that hit the Bahamas in 2019