Dorothy-Rose / Dorothy Rose

[Whattonamebaby]

I'm expecting our first DD, and we really want to use the name Dorothy Rose / Dorothy-Rose. Both names have family significance for us. I really like the sound of Dorothy-Rose and think it gives more flexibility for nicknames /different variations as she gets older - but am worried that hyphenating (especially with -Rose which I know gets lumped with -Mae names) will be judged or something she grows to hate. Equally if we don't hyphenate, my concern is that no ones ever going to use the Rose and she will just be Dorothy, which I still like but not as much as Dorothy Rose. Any views from those with hyphenated names or who have given their kids hyphenated names? Struggling to make our minds up so all views appreciated!

I wouldn't hyphenate it, as much as you love the name, your daughter may not, and not hyphenating gives her the option of using both or one only.
Plus writing her name at school will be more difficult with such a long name initially.

Dont hyphenate. You made me smile - my fab feisty and loving gran was a Dorothy Rose and it's her birthday today 😍

I know a Matilda-Rose. 90% of the time she is Matilda and the other 10% is Tilda. Writing out the whole name would be a PITA. No hyphen.

I definitely wouldn’t hyphenate, as you’ll get a lot of Golden Girls comments (from people of a certain age anyway).

Would she be Dotty for short?

The hyphen won’t necessarily mean that your daughter uses Rose . I work in an all girls’ school and I can’t think of a single girl with a hyphenated name , who does not ask you to only go by the first name.
Dorothy Rose is lovely though x

I wouldn't hyphenate it

Don’t do a hyphen

While I am also not a fan of a hyphen. I think if you want Dorothy-Rose said like that instead of Dorothy then I would hyphen.

Niece has an unusual hyphen name it has not atopped her in life it is 50/50 if peope use just the first or thr hyphenated full name.

No hyphen
Call her Dorothy Rose at home
When she gets to school her friends may use full name but very likely shorten it so do you like Dot, Dotty, Dor, DR, Rosie, Dottie Rose…

Definitely wouldn't hyphenate. I think it's fine to call your child by 2 names yourself, but it always seems awkward for others.

Another no hyphen vote here. Way too long to be writing that out on everything her whole life. You can call her the full thing and it'll be one of those "only my mum calls me that" situations when everyone else calls her Dotty or whatever. I like both names but it's fine for a first and middle name, that's all it needs to be.

Only you will call her Dorothy Rose, and I'm fairly certain you won't either.

It is endearment to shorten/make up/play around with a name.

My view with names is keep it simple with names.
Personally I think one name is enough without having a second and messing about with hyphen.

I write out a lot of certificates for children I don't know that well so use the names given to me on the register. The number of time I've had kids say that they dont like or use (whatevernsme) or say 'every one just calls me Lillie, not Lillie-mae is unreal!.

dont hyphen

personally I think the hyphen is a bit naff, and especially when paired with Rose or Mae/May
Secondly it’s hassle for her having to write it out
third, four syllables is just too long IMO. Any name four syllables long is going to get shortened whether you like it or not

Dorothy Rose is nice and original

Definitely don't hyphenate it. I work in a school and several children have a hyphenated name on the register (usually -Rose or -May/Mae for girls,
-James or -Lee for boys). Honesty, not one child uses the second part. Most of the children hate having such a long name, and cringe at being 'full named'.

You can still call her Dorothy Rose, whether there's a hyphen or not. Not having the hyphen though means she won't be stuck forever with people in an official capacity calling her by her full name if she really hates it.

The lack of hyphen actually gives her more options than having it, as she gets to choose whether she uses the Rose part or not.

Ultimately, people call other people by whatever name they wish to be addressed by (whether it's on their birth certificate or not). The Rose part will be used if she really wants it to be. She doesn't need a hyphen to make it officially part of her name.

Sister called Blanche-Sophia

Don’t hyphenate. Just use Rose as the middle name.

It’s a lovely name.

Rose is boring as a middle name and nearly everyone seems to claim it's a family name.

Hyphenated names are naff.

Dorothy and Rose are fine as first names but I don't think they go well together.

Well I think they go beautifully together but wouldn't hyphenate. What a mouthful! The Dorothy in our family is known as Dorrie and her middle name only gets tacked on when she's naughty

Don’t hyphenate please. I have a hyphenated first name and it is a pain. Some computer programmes don’t seem to recognise it - including some airlines. That then leads to a slightly different name on that to my passport which does have the hyphen. And in the end my parents used my middle name so it’s just a nuisance.

I adore Dorothy as a name and am glad it’s becoming more popular. I’ve come across a few baby Dorothy’s recently. Personally I wouldn’t hyphenate. Nickname would be Dolly or Dorothy :)