Which of these three girls' names is nicest?

[artichokes]

I am sure I will start another 200 names threads before this baby actually arrives but tonight DH and I have a shortlist of three. What do you think of them?

Katherine (known as Kitty)
Dorothea (known as Dora or Dotty)
Sophia

One I love and he is unsure, one is vice versa and the third we both think is nice but neither of us love.

Katherine - i love the nickname Kitty...

Dorothea is lush. I know a lovely Dot.

But not Katherine and Sophia.

I prefer Dot to Dotty - reminds me of the Dot in the Arthur Ransome books

Katherine (known as Kitty) - I like both but Kitty is a little girly for my tastes. I like Kate and Kat etc though.

Dorothea (known as Dora or Dotty) - love this, but prefer Dora to Dotty

Sophia is pretty but it is soooo popular at the moment

There are lots of Sophias as DS's prep school.

Katherine might well become Kat, which is not as nice as Kitty. Dotty is not good - imagine "spotty Dotty" and so on. I also knew a Dorothea who became Dorly..

Kitty is a great name by itself. I don't like Katherine at all.

Dorothea is super. Really original and Dotty is cute.

Sophia is ok but over used just now.

Like all of them but Dorothea is most unusual (but not weird unusual IYKWIM!)

I had a school friend called Dottie short for Dorota (Polish for Dorothy) who wa sgreat fun. Agree that Dottie is v cute and wacky

Dorothea is beautiful, I LOVE Dotty and Dora (but Dora the Explorer)
Kitty I love but Katherine is boring (although I agree there should be a proper name)
Sophia is nice. Much nicer than Sophie IMHO, but there are loads

Go for Dotty it's brilliant

(.. note to self to steal for ficticious DC3!)

I like them all but I know lots of babies called Sophia, so I think it's getting quite popular - don't know if you mind that or not.

Katherine is a lovely classic name (see Anne of Green Gables for why it's better spelt with a K than a C) and Kitty is sweet.

I think I like Dorothea/Dora/Dotty best though. Unusual but a 'proper' name. I'd go for that one.

I love Katherine / Kittty

Think Sophia sounds rubbish if you are not from the Med!

I love Kitty as a stand alone name but I like Katharine too.

Dorothea I'm not wild about and really dislike sophia - think it's a very 'harsh' sounding name and not at all feminine. it's also very popular and over used.

Dorothea

Katherine

Katherine - gives lots of options for shortening as mentioned before. Thank goodness it does as DD's new class at Middle school will now have Katherine, Katie (really a Katherine) and Katrina.

Hi Arti. Dorothea wins by a very long chalk. It's lovely. I find the others a little so-so (sorry)

Dorothea

Katherine Dorothea is lovely

and also happens to be very very close to my RL name

I would have loved to have been Katherine spelled with a K shortened to Kitty

all full names charming. not so keen on diminutives kitty and dotty.

Sophia is my favourite. Katherine is nice, with plenty of attractive nickname options (particularly like Kitty).

Dorothea is not good, and Dotty is just awful.

Sophia for me

Grotty Dotty? Snottty Dotty? Dotty's botty? Dot's got the trots?

Surely it isn't worth it.

I do like diminutives generally (my DD's name is a not-very-common diminutive of an equally not-very-common-but-not-outlandish longer name), but it's worth checking the rhymes in advance!!

I'd also leave scope for your diminutive DD to be a heaving hockey-player in later life (as my ginormous DD appears to be almost the same size as me, despite being only just four, her "cute" little-girl name may not suit her forever!!)

Sophia then Katherine for me too.

Sophia

I like Dorothea, I like it shortened to Thea though, second choice Katherine, Sophia too common at the moment.