Theodora or Dorothea? Neither?

[Annei]

Thoughts on Theodora or Dorothea?

Really keen on the idea of nn being Dora, and also like Thea.

Not a fan of Teddy or Dorothy depending on the name, although they are also nice!

Somewhat unsure however since both names feel long, older, and we would more often use a nn rather than the full name.

they are both lovely. I also knew an Isadora nn dora which i think is beautiful

I much prefer Dorothy to Dorethea but can see you don’t

I love Theodora. Greek meaning gift from God.

Not keen on either tbh. Would prefer Dorothy to Dorothea.

No to any diminutives (not nicknames)

I like Theodora much better between the two but if you would use Dora day to day just name her that.

I don’t think Dora the Explorer has been popular for a good while now so I wouldn’t worry about that

Me too

dorothea is my choice name

Both lovely names. I slight more like Theodora and the Dora nn. I don’t think many dc watch does the explorer anymore. I work in a school and put it on on an indoor break day as it’s really interactive and most of the dc haven’t seen it before or know of it .Anyway it’s hardly a terrible association even if some did

Love both! My great grandmama was Dorothea but known as Dotty.

Theodora nn Theo.

My inspiration was Dorothea Callum.

That's who I thought of. A good role model - imaginative but also competent and sensible.

I prefer Dorothea to Theodora. Don't care for Dora as a short form.

Dorothea

Way too many Theodore/as

I like Dora, Dorrie, Dorey and Dot, so you are spoilt for choice

I prefer Dorothy, or just Thea. The others feel a bit masculine.

Theodora, nickname Tyke.
Probably showing my age there!

I have a 20 year old so probably out if touch. She'd be horrified to be called either if these.

Both lovely. I go back and forth on which I prefer. Tone-wise, to my ears Dorothea is more “frilly” and Theodora is more “strong”. So depends what feeling you’re going for maybe?

I love Dorothea!

Theodora. Dorothea is the main character in Middlemarch and she’s very earnest and irritating.

I love Theodora. It feels fresher and less fusty or formal than Dorothea somehow.

Theodora could be Dora.

I love Dorothea, as noted above she's the main character in Middlemarch and she starts off as irritating but grows up well over the course of the novel. There's a lovely summing up quote about her so I disagree with @ChocolateCinderToffee about that . This is the quote "But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs."

Well, as Dorota, mother of little Teodor I just wanted to say I loved the question :)

I love Theodora and would have absolutely named our daughter that if my partner had let me 😅

One of these is my name. It is a total pain to have this name. I recommend a re-think.

My mother chose to use the 'boy' nickname and that has not made things any better, especially since this is currently a well established and trendy name for boys. People assume, understandably, that I'm a man and then I have to explain - every interaction starts off badly since they feel awkward for being wrong.

Using the full length version sounds OTT. The only advantage I've found is that people often assume I'm rich/posh so sometimes I get better service.

I was named for a long ago relative. When I was a child, no one had ever heard of it, certainly not my classmates who came up with horrible nicknames.

Dorothy will be shortened to Dotty or Dot. Neither smacks of old lady to me but I've recently been thinking about grandchildren and what nice names my offspring (who haven't even indicated they will be having children this century!) would choose. I love Matilda now but wouldn't countenance it for my daughter 25 years ago. Similarly Elsie, Florence and Maisie!

One tip I was given for both choosing children's names and dog names is stand in your garden./a park/a field and shout it out loud, If you feel an idiot shouting it don't use it

I like Dorothea. Dora is nice and underused

We had these on our list. I know names like this won’t be to everyone’s taste but I really liked both of them.

We ruled out Dorothea because of the Taylor Swift song in case it looked like we were massive fans when we aren’t.

Almost used Theodora but decided on a very similar alternative (that a couple of PPs have mentioned) because it felt slightly less of a mouthful and a bit more us.

If I saw someone announce a baby with either of those names though I’d think it was a nice choice.