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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Alice or Theodora?

32 replies

Eliza17 · 07/01/2021 14:25

Hello! We have a baby girl due in a matter of weeks and I have two names I love.

Which do you prefer? She would be Alice Theodora Pearl or Theodora Olivia Pearl. Thoughts?

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haventheboomer69 · 18/01/2021 15:32

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hardrocknickina · 18/01/2021 11:04

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toolazytothinkofausername · 18/01/2021 08:09

Both nice names. Which name do you prefer regarding nicknames?

Theodora: Theo, Dora, Teddy.

Alice: Ally, Lissy.

Original poster
Eliza17 · 18/01/2021 08:06

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughts so far! No baby girl yet, we hopefully still have a week or two. Can't wait to meet her and see what name she looks like!

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BatleyTownswomensGuild · 14/01/2021 17:00

Alice is classic and lovely.

Frankly Theodora is a bit much for me.

Original poster
Eliza17 · 14/01/2021 15:59

@MockCroc

Thank you so much for your reply! I love the name too. It's wonderful to hear your little one is 9 and still loves her name. That's terrific people use the full name - we thought it would be shortened to Thea if we went for the name.

I think I've decided I want to meet our little girl first and see what suits her - although maybe they grow into a name?!

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MockCroc · 12/01/2021 23:09

I have a Theodora who is nearly 9. Obviously I am biased and I worried a LOT when we gave it to her as a baby. So I thought I would give you my perspective having lived with the decision for nearly a decade! I still think it’s a gorgeous name and I couldn’t be more pleased we went with it. She receives lots of compliments about it. I thought we would use Thea but since she was 2 she’s insisted on her full name. We call her Thea at home. Her cousins call her Dora. The rest of the world calls her Theodora. It’s neither fussy nor dated on her. It’s a cool and poised name on a fab kid. Alice is nice too. But if you are leaning towards Theodora I’d say go for it. Also whilst we have only met one other Theodora it doesn’t stick out because she is in a class full of Matildas, Amelias and Francescas (state primary). She’s never been picked on or teased about it. Hope that helps and good luck with your little one Smile

IckleBear · 09/01/2021 09:21

Theodora Alice Pearl

pilates · 09/01/2021 07:48

Alice

babynamelover · 09/01/2021 07:45

Theodora Alice Pearl so stunning.

MercyBodle · 09/01/2021 03:44

Alice Theodora Pearl is gorgeous, and my choice. Even though Alice is more popular than Theodora, I think it's an easier name to take you through life. I do like Theodora though - it makes a big statement.

Poppyolive90 · 08/01/2021 15:20

Alice

Original poster
Eliza17 · 08/01/2021 15:20

@toastofthetown

Oh, really interesting thoughts! My Mum is called Barbara and she loathes it! Ha ha.

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Original poster
Eliza17 · 08/01/2021 15:19

Oh, really interesting thoughts! My Mum is called Barbara and she loathes it! Ha ha.

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DramaAlpaca · 08/01/2021 13:59

Alice for me.

Theodora is too fussy and I dislike all the diminutives. It'd be a good middle name though.

toastofthetown · 08/01/2021 09:45

@Chilldonaldchill

Theodora. How can it date? It's way older than Alice as a name! I'd go for Theodora Olivia Pearl. It's a top name Wink.
Theodora can date, despite being an old name, as it is going from being an underused name, to a name which is rapidly rising in popularity. This is usually followed by an eventual decline in popularity, meaning a boom of Theodoras born between 2020-2030. When this happens it becomes easy to estimate how old a person is based on their name, and the name returns to being underused until the next popularity spike. If you heard of a Barbara, Jason or Claire you would probably have some kind of mental image of an age bracket they would fall into, despite them all being classic names. Dating relates more to current name trends than a name’s history. Alice has been popular fairly consistently, meaning it is far less likely to date.

Obviously I don’t have a crystal ball and the Theodora trend could well go nowhere. Baby name trends are much more short lived these days and more names are used now than were historically, so it’s hard to say what will sound dated in 30 years. However with Thea being in the top 50 for girls and name Theodore being so popular for boys, it’s not unlikely to pick up more steam, as the name sounds familiar. This might not be important at all to the OP, and I like both Alice and Theodora and think either would be a good choice. Just might be something to think about.

Chilldonaldchill · 08/01/2021 08:50

Theodora. How can it date? It's way older than Alice as a name!
I'd go for Theodora Olivia Pearl. It's a top name Wink.

WomenAndVulvas · 08/01/2021 08:41

I think Theodora will date badly, I'd go for Alice which is a lovely classic name.

Original poster
Eliza17 · 08/01/2021 08:39

Thank you everyone for your input so far! We are taking all the comments on board :)

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partyatthepalace · 08/01/2021 00:28

@CeibaTree

I'd go for Theodora Alice Pearl :)
Me too, but both nice
maddsclairelouise · 07/01/2021 23:57

I adore the name Theodora and think Theodora Alice Pearl sounds gorgeous! Let us know what you choose xx

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 07/01/2021 20:07

Alice Theodora Pearl is the nicer of the two imo. You have the best of both worlds - a classic first name that shouldn't date, combined with more unusual, old-fashioned middle names to add interest.

QuantumJump · 07/01/2021 17:52

Alice Olivia Pearl is my favourite.

Firebird83 · 07/01/2021 17:50

Alice Theodora Pearl

Unicant · 07/01/2021 15:45

I love the name Theodora! And its got loads of great shortened versions she can pick from when she's older..(theo, Dora, thea, dotty, Teddie etc..) I think those are the best names because they can kind of be customised to suit whoever she grows into...