On the name Dora...

[elderberryspokes]

I'm getting ahead of myself here, but just wanted a sounding board really :)

My lovely Grandma died last month, and shortly afterwards I discovered that I was pregnant. Ever since I have been giving serious thought to naming the baby after her if it is a girl, as I would have been pregnant (unknowingly) during the last days I spent with her, which despite being incredibly sad were also wonderful in the sense that the whole family came together in the way we used to at my Gran's house back in the day...

Soppiness over, my Gran's name was Dora.

My husband rejected the name outright as being too old-fashioned. I admit that I would never have considered it before now but I have always thought my Gran had a nice sing-song kind of name (Dora May) and the only other Dora I have come across is Dora the explorer.

Tonight, I was looking up the meaning of the name and it said that it can be used as a short form of Isadora - husband was suddenly very interested!

Apologies for the rambling. I suppose what I'm asking is, do you think Dora is too old fashioned, or Isadora too silly? What do the names make you think of?

x

[ditzydrawers]

Dora May as it is is gorgeous, I think! My grandma also died during my pregnancy. It is really tough so you have my sympathies.

[MmeLindor]

I think both names are lovely.

Is Dora the Explorer still as popular? I think that it is a reaction that you will get from people with 6 to 10 yo DC.

[MolotovCocktail]

MmeLindor, my eldest DD is almost 4yo and she's a huge Dora fan: it's regularly on Nickelodeon. I don't see it's popularity waning, either.

[MrsTomHardy]

I love the name Dora....

[SneezySnatcher]

Molotov oh yes!

[Theala]

Isadora May is gorgeous.

[Devora]

I love Dora. I really, really wanted to call dd1 Dora, but my dp vetoed it. I regret not using it - it would have really suited her.

[AnnIonicIsoTronic]

Nice classic name with a meaningful reason. Go for it.

[nametakenagain]

I think its a great plan, too. There's a Harry Potter Dora, short for Nymphadora(!) but she's a hero.

[suebfg]

Dora was my Grandma's name so I do like it. I prefer Isadora as a more modern version though

[SophiesMummySaid]

I like Dora on it's own, too.

Could also be short for
Pandora
Dorothea, Dorothy
Deborah

[SophiesMummySaid]

Or Doris/Doreen

[lynzie68]

My best friend is laura, my little girl calls her aunty dora,
It grew on me and her and Laura is now dora officially to pretty much everyone.
My child's logic was Laura and Dora rhyme lol so in a longway I guess I'm saying Laura could be a possibility for you?

[MolotovCocktail]

How funny lynzie, youve reminded me of a girl I used to know called Laura whose Dad NNed her 'Laura-Dora'.

Laura is a lovely name, well overdue a revival; I think we've established it has the same sound-quality to Dora.

Laura could be another option?

[ScrambledSmegs]

Dora makes me think of Follyfoot.



I think it's beautiful, and Dorothea was on my short list for DC2. Sadly vetoed by DH.

[badtime]

I used to know someone called 'Doria', which I think is a nice variant.

Also, 'Dorian' is unisex, so you could consider that for a boy too...

[AngelOne]

My Grandma was called Dora too :)
It's a lovely name and I hope to use it if I ever have another girl.

[EskimoPie]

I know a baby Dora of Greek parentage - lovely name!

But as an Australian growing up in the 70s I still think of the learn-to-read books Dick and Dora. "Look at Dora run. Run, Dora, run!"

[ChippingInLovesAutumn]

I think it would be a lovely thing to do, but I'd also expect a fair bit of teasing re 'Dora the Explorer' - but to a certain extent, if it's not that it'll be something else wont it :)

I had an Aunty Dora - she was a great aunt, she was in her 80's when I was a teenager, she was lovely :)

[ChippingInLovesAutumn]

Oh, I like Isodora, it's quite pretty, but I wouldn't use it because the 'joke' would also follow in my head (Isodora - no it's a wall)

[Iris1]

Isadora is gorgeous!!
Don't worry about the connection lots of names have them and tbh if poople/children are going to make fun of someone they will do it regardless of there being a pop culture etc reference so best thing is to be brave, use the beautiful name and make sure your daughter knows how wonderful it is and who shes named after.

Theodora is lovely too.
Pandora - Goddess name meaning beautiful, I think its lovely!

[GrrrArghZzzzYaayforall8nights]

Isadora is lovely My DH's grandmother is also called Dora, and names related to it are very big on that side of his family (they also keep a long family tree with fascinating names):

Dorathea, Dorothy, Theodora, Theadora, Adora (which we were thinking of using if DS2 had been a girl), Dorianne, Eudora, Leadora. Dory/Dorie shows up quite a bit though likely a nickname for one of the other names.

There are also lots of similar masculine names like Theodor, Doran, Dorian, Amidor.

[birdofthenorth]

Love adorable, despite The Explorer being on loop in our house.

I like Isadora too, although it's a very different sort of name, Dora to me is cute and homely, Isadora is pretty and posh. Although if you go with Isadora nn Dora she gets both depending on the occasion.

Sorry for the loss of your Grandma. I think it's lovely to name your little girl after her.

[elderberryspokes]

Thanks for your replies everybody, and sorry for my brief disappearing act!

I do love Isadora, but it feels more like a character in a story that my daughter, if that makes sense (and I also think of Wizadora!) I'm not sure it really suits us, and the more I think about it, if I am going to name my daughter after my Gran then I should just call her Dora May ;)

Until now the frontrunners have been Iris, which has always been my favourite girl's name, and Aoife, as DH is Irish and we have a lot of Eva's in our family, which I believe it is the equivalent of.

Not convinced Dora the Explorer will still be around by the time she?s old enough to feel embarrassed by it (which I?m guessing will be preteens) ? there?s twelve years difference between me and my youngest sister and she's never heard of the things I used to watch - she doesn't even remember the CBBC broom cupboard! No ... wait ... she did used to watch my old Dogtanian VHS, which my Dad has lovingly preserved, for some ungodly reason....

Of course, it will probably be a boy, and all this worrying will have been for nothing! Then I will be faced with the thorny issue of DH?s obsession with the name Jeremiah (who in my book was a bullfrog, not a baby)

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