Dorothy or Patricia?

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Hi All -
I'm having my third child and although 90% of me thinks that it will be a boy, I am starting to think that I should pick a couple of girls names. My other two children are called Ellis and Fred (traditional and modern) I adore my Grandmother who has been like a mother to me and would love to honour her by calling my third child after her (if it is a girl). However, her name is Patricia Dorothy. Patricia (Pat, PAtty, Patsy) just seems to be too hard a name and Dorothy - Dot or Dotty for short, has similar challenges for me. ANyone got any opinions on this or suggestions for shorter names based on these?

Thanks for any help!

If I had to go for one of them I'd use Dorothy. A friend has this and we call her Dodo for short.

How about Dorothea with Thea for short?

Trish or Trisha can be short for Patricia.

I like Dorothy as it is! Or Dorothea as a very nice alternative. Or simply Dora or Thea?

My workmate is called Dorothy (aged 30) and she hates her name, won't even have it on her work email address. And if you try to call her Dot then she gets a glint in her eye.
It's weird because I really like it! And some really good diminutives like Dora or Dee.

They are both awful. Sorry.

I've never liked Patricia. All shortened versions of it are also awful. Some names just shouldn't be brought back into fashion.

Dorothy is lovely. DD3 was nearly Dorothy

I love Dorothy. Dot or Dotty are cute nicknames. I also know a Dorothy who's nickname is Dolly.

If you are really struggling with the names, though, you could have them as middle names instead?

My mum is Patricia. She is known as Tricia. But she hates her name which would put me off it.

I quite like Dorothy.

Is I have DD3 she may well be Dorothea. For me it has personal significance because just before my mum died she wrote me a long letter about how to live my life with reference to the characters in Middlemarch. The last line of my mum's last ever letter to me says "nurture the Dorothea in yourself, shun the Rosamund".

Dorothea could be Dora or Thea. Both v modern names. Or Dot or Dotty which I think are sweet diminuitives for babies.

So if I were you I wld go for Dorothea.

Dorothy.

I think both are quite strange names for anyone under 40! Can you not honour your Grandmother by using one as a middle name? Maybe she could help choose the name with you? As someone just suggested, Dorothea is nice, and can be shortened to Thea which is lovely.

I really love Dorothy - it was one of the names we had on 'the' list if ds was a dd.
I also like Patricia, and would think it was cute on someone else's dd. I like Patti as a nn, but Tricia is awful. I would not use it myself though.

A friend has a 12month old Dorothy,We all call her Dottie.

I think they're both horrible. Patricia in particular I feel is worse than Nigella.

Theodora is just 'Dorothy' rearranged, but imo it's a far nicer name, and Thea is nice too for a more wispy sound.

Patrice isn't bad as a mn -- French version of Patricia.

I love Dorothy, though I agree Dorothea has the advantage of Thea as a nn. Dora is a nice shortening for Dorothy though, as well as a name in its own right.

Patricia is also a good name, strong and these days unusual. An elderly relative of mine shortens it to Paddy, which is quite cool for a girl, I think (though slightly confusing if your DH is called Pat, as hers is).

I don't think either names are awful but I don't think they are ready for a return yet. Patricia was very popular in the 60s and 70s - I had 3 in my year at least. Why people have to be so rude about names is beyond me as they usually come in and out of fashion. Years ago I would have thought calling my dcs names such as Isla and Violet strange but they are very 'in' now and no doubt will be criticised as common and awful by future generations.

I love Dorothy - adorable on a little girl, grown up on a woman, and has lots of cute nickame options (have you considered Dora as a nn too?).

But Patricia is very elegant, too. What about Trix/Trixie as a nn? Sounds a lot more current than Patty etc.

This has been my first post on MN and I am so grateful for all your responses - thanks. Stil not sure, but definitely leaning more to Dorothy. This is probably all academic though and I will be deciding between Vincent or Francis for the third hubby lookalike!!! Thanks again all :-)

DEFINITELY Dorothy

Neither. Most make me think of post-menopausal women. Sorry. Either as a middle name wouldn't be so bad though.

Love Dorothy

Dorothy. I just don't like any of the nicknames for Patricia unfortunately.