which one do you prefer and why?

[oldbutnotpastit]

i like both Theodora and Dorothea but not sure which one i prefer .i keep changing my mind .
just wondering what other people think.

Theodora - nice meaning (loved by Gods) and potential nn Teddy, Dora, Theo are all sweet.

I prefer Dorothy to Dorothea

Out of the two Theodora but I like Dorothy nn Dotty

Dorothea, reminds me of a wonderful Dorothy nn dotty.

I think both are lovely! Maybe think about nicknames they would be given... Dorothea could be could Thea or Dotty (I agree, could be mistaken for Dorothy) and Theodora, Teddy or Dora. Personally, I love Teddy for a girl as I have a friend with this name!

Theodora, just because I prefer the sound of it.

They both mean the same, if that matters....
The syllables are just reversed.
So it all depends on your preferred sound/nicknames - though, as many others have said, you can't always choose those.

I like them both but prefer the flow of Dorothea. I also tend to dislike names for girls which look like you wanted a boy (Thomasina, Philippa, Josephine, etc) and Theodora is too like Theodore in that regard.

Theodora is lovely x

I prefer Dorothea, Theodora looks like a mangled boy's name to me too, in the Nigella vein.

Theodora

Can't imagine Dorothea on a baby but maybe that's just me! I also know of a Theodosia which is very similar to both names!

Definitely Theodora. Lots of potential nicknames Thea, Teddy, etc. Dorothea sounds too like Dorothy and I don't particularly like that name. Dorothy from the Golden Girls keeps popping into my head!

i prefer the sound of theodora but i also feel it's too similar to theodore . we know 2 baby theodores which again puts me off using theodora . however , dorothea feels quite clunky and possibly too similar too dorothy . this is the reason i'm struggling to decide between the 2 and keep going round in circles . we also have a ds and dd with the initial t whch is another reason i'm unsure as to whether to use theodora ,

Three initial 'Ts' sounds like a theme really. Are there any other names in the running? I fail to see how the name Dorothea WOULDN'T be associated with Dorothy so if this bothers you I'd rethink.

Both are nice but Dorothea is a bit grown up for a child so Theodora wins. Also the latter has better nicknames.

although we have 2 dc with t initials we have 7 other dcs whose initials are not T so the t initial l may not appear quite as theme like as it otherwise might if we just had 3 dc . the fact that it's like dorothy doesn't bother me but will she spend her life correcting people .
i love the meaning of the name and chicken i know what you mean about Dorothea feeling more grown up than theodora . i feel the same but she'll a child/baby for a tiny proportion of her life and we could use a nn during her baby/childhood

Theodora sounds both haughty and frumpy but I love Thea.

Theodora sounds both haughty and frumpy but I love Thea.

What about just Thea?

sorry i like thea as a nn but not a full name . i quite like althea though .i really love the meaning gift of god for theodora /dorothea which is why the as a full name is less appealing.

Theodora

Theodora as it can be shortened to Teddy. Dorothea is seriously not my cup of tea.

Theodora. It sounds more wearable and modern than Dorothea, despite being equally as classic. I think Dorothea is really unattractive, personally.