Dorothy or Dorothea

plunderb · January 2011

Not working on #2 yet, just curious.

My grandmother's name is Dorothy nn Dot. Even though it is still too soon for this name to be cool again, I sort of like it and I love nns Dottie and Dora.

So, what do you think of Dorothy? Too old lady? Cute enough for a comeback?

And how about its elegant cousin, Dorothea?

KtGirl88 · January 2011

HATE DOROTHEA!! bad bad bad...

Dorothy isnt bad but all i think of is sparkle shoes and a basket with a dog

alliejo725 · January 2011

I love both Dorothea and Dorothy, and I adore the NN Dottie. Personally, I'd use Dorothea (elegant, strong) over Dorothy (sweet, friendly), but both are nice on different merits.

onislandtime · January 2011

I prefer Dorothy over Dorothea.

MrsW801 · January 2011

I don't like Dorothea at all. Dorothy isn't as bad.

dee12807 · January 2011

my great grandmother and great aunt (g-gma's daughter) are both Dorothea. I love both names though. My great aunt goes by the nn Dee (which I also ended up with being Denise) or Thea, which I love. G-gma was always Dot or Dotty.

JessandJeremy · January 2011

I'm sorry, but I don't care for either at all.

kelslynie · January 2011

Dorothy is more of a grandma name to me.

Dorothea isn't bad, since she can use Thea as a nickname. It's the reverse of Theodora, in which case you could call her Dora.

PinkPearlGirl · January 2011

I've grew up knowing two different girls named Dorothy. They were both very sweet and totally took away the Wizard of Oz idea for me.

elyshaswedding · January 2011

alliejo725:
I love both Dorothea and Dorothy, and I adore the NN Dottie. Personally, I'd use Dorothea (elegant, strong) over Dorothy (sweet, friendly), but both are nice on different merits.

This exactly. I have an Aunt Dot (Dorothy) and had contemplated it in my name search, but it just didn't work with our last name. I lean slightly more in favor of Dorothea, but really, I love both of them!

forensicmama · January 2011

I love both names. My grandma is named Dorothy. I think Dorothea has a love vibe to it with twice the possibilities of nicknames (Dot, Dottie, Thea).

susieandmarty · January 2011

i really like Dorothy and it is on my short list

Sawyerplus1 · January 2011

I disagree about it not being cool yet. My brother's youngest DD is named Dorothy, nn Dot. It's pretty adorable, imo.

But I dislike Dorothea.

Bride7-7-07 · January 2011

I personally don't like any version of it.

jsillyfun · January 2011

I love both and love the nn Dottie or Thea. Not a fan of Dora, though, just b/c Dora the Explorer is such a huge thing with preschoolers right now.

Amanda&EricB · January 2011

Dorothea is one of my FAVORITE girl names!!!! Absolutely beautiful.

starlight8323 · January 2011

"Dorothy, nns Dot, Dottie, and Dora" is on my list as well (with the nickname preference in that order). I like that there are many nn options for her to choose from later.

This name itself is an American icon to me, though its origins go back as early as 4th century Greece. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, is a symbol of American cinema. Dottie was used in A League of Their Own, which showed a fictional story set in the true-life AAGPBL (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League). And of course there are Dot and Dory from the Disney/Pixar movies, A Bug?s Life and Finding Nemo, respectively. And the "Dora The Explorer" association doesn't bother me, like it bothers the PP, because it's a family show. It's not like she's a vampire or anything.

PS: Dorothea is not bad either. Big Smile