Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Which of these three girls' names is nicest?

83 replies

artichokes · 17/07/2008 19:41

I am sure I will start another 200 names threads before this baby actually arrives but tonight DH and I have a shortlist of three. What do you think of them?

Katherine (known as Kitty)
Dorothea (known as Dora or Dotty)
Sophia

One I love and he is unsure, one is vice versa and the third we both think is nice but neither of us love.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
twosofar · 18/07/2008 08:32

Dorothea is beautiful, I LOVE Dotty and Dora (but Dora the Explorer)
Kitty I love but Katherine is boring (although I agree there should be a proper name)
Sophia is nice. Much nicer than Sophie IMHO, but there are loads

Go for Dotty it's brilliant

(.. note to self to steal for ficticious DC3!)

Tommy · 17/07/2008 23:09

Like all of them but Dorothea is most unusual (but not weird unusual IYKWIM!)

I had a school friend called Dottie short for Dorota (Polish for Dorothy) who wa sgreat fun. Agree that Dottie is v cute and wacky

WinkyWinkola · 17/07/2008 23:07

Kitty is a great name by itself. I don't like Katherine at all.

Dorothea is super. Really original and Dotty is cute.

Sophia is ok but over used just now.

Dottoressa · 17/07/2008 23:05

There are lots of Sophias as DS's prep school.

Katherine might well become Kat, which is not as nice as Kitty. Dotty is not good - imagine "spotty Dotty" and so on. I also knew a Dorothea who became Dorly..

staranise · 17/07/2008 23:04

Katherine (known as Kitty) - I like both but Kitty is a little girly for my tastes. I like Kate and Kat etc though.

Dorothea (known as Dora or Dotty) - love this, but prefer Dora to Dotty

Sophia is pretty but it is soooo popular at the moment

crumpet · 17/07/2008 23:02

I prefer Dot to Dotty - reminds me of the Dot in the Arthur Ransome books

bluedomino · 17/07/2008 23:02

Dorothea is lush. I know a lovely Dot.

But not Katherine and Sophia.

HollyGoHeavily · 17/07/2008 22:57

Katherine - i love the nickname Kitty...

WendyWeber · 17/07/2008 22:42

And as well as Kitty she could have Katie, Kate, Kat, Kathy...

WendyWeber · 17/07/2008 22:41

Katherine, but pls spell it Katharine

(Katharine = Greek
Catherine = French
Katherine = mish-mosh)

cadelaide · 17/07/2008 22:39

Sophia.

MadBadandDangeroustoKnow · 17/07/2008 22:39

Oops - somehow missed the other mentions of Middlemarch.

yama · 17/07/2008 22:38

Sophia

MadBadandDangeroustoKnow · 17/07/2008 22:37

Dorothea is my favourite of the three - she's the heroine of Middlemarch - but for myself I would avoid the abbreviation Dotty, as to my parents' generation it means slightly mad.

christie2 · 17/07/2008 22:30

Dorothea is very nice and unlikely to be as popular as katherine or sophia if you would like your name to be a little unique.

SoupDragon · 17/07/2008 21:32

Katherine

berolina · 17/07/2008 21:32

I like them all very much. ds1 would have been Sophia if he had been a dd.

ilovemydog · 17/07/2008 21:32

sophia

Original poster
artichokes · 17/07/2008 21:32

Don't worry GetOrf . I am not a huge fan of the character either, she takes herself waayyyy to seriously, but my Mum admired her and Mum's use of the phrase "nuture the Dorothea in yourself" makes me want to call my baby that.

OP posts:
Verridian · 17/07/2008 21:31

What about Katherine shortened to Kathy?

EffiePerine · 17/07/2008 21:29

What about using 2 - Dorothea Katherine?

EffiePerine · 17/07/2008 21:28

I like all of them, but think I would go for Dorothea

HumphreyCushioni · 17/07/2008 21:26

Katherine/Kitty.

That's what DS1 would have been called if he had been a girl.

GetOrfMoiLand · 17/07/2008 21:19

Oh dear OP, I've just seen your post about your late mother's love of Middlemarch, sorry

GetOrfMoiLand · 17/07/2008 21:17

Favourite is Sophia (I would say that, it's dd's name )

We call her Phia for short. I think it's a lovely name, but a surprising amount of people call her Sophie (which drives us bonkers).

DD's middle name is Katharine. So good name choices imo!! I also like Dorothea, but it reminds me of the priggish character in Middlemarch.