Dorothy vs. Dorothea
Do you have different opinions/thoughts on these names? Please share.
- Dorothy
- Dorothea
0 voters
This is just completely my personal perspective of these names.
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] reads as old-fashioned and vintage to me - a definite “grandmother” or even “great grandmother” name. These kinds of names are coming back in vogue so [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] doesn’t feel totally out of place nowadays, but 10-20 years ago it definitely would have sounded a bit stuffy and old. I think [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] from the [name_m]Wizard[/name_m] of [name_m]Oz[/name_m] bolsters this association, as well as several of my ancestors born in the late 1800s/early 1900s being named [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f].
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f], on the other hand, sounds somewhat older too but has this modern twist that makes it a little more fresh. I did not have any pop culture or personal references for [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f], so due to its similarity to [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] it has this vintage sound but not a vintage feel, if that makes sense. Although [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] certainly fits in with the trend of vintage names being used for modern babies, [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] feels like a more modern name to me due to my lack of older associations with it.
3 Likes
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] feels vintage but youthful. [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] feels older. And when I say it aloud the second syllable is more prominent, whereas it kind of disappears in [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]. So [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] ends up feeling much more than a syllable longer than [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]. Over all, I much prefer [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] but I adore the [name_m]Wizard[/name_m] of [name_m]Oz[/name_m] on a spiritual level so I’m probably biased!
2 Likes
I much prefer [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] and as @Youssarian has stated it feels fresher. [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] reads fresh and youthful to me rather than projecting a grandma vibe.
1 Like
So I absolutely love both names 
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] is sweet, cosy, warm and comforting. [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] has this vintage old fashioned flair and has lovely associations with the wizard of oz. [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] is lovely and has relaxed friendly girl next door vibe with a sweet 1920s nostalgic flair.
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] feels whimsical, ethereal, enchanting and magical. I also feel that [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] feels more fashionable potentially seen as more modern I think the [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] [name_m]Swift[/name_m] song adds to that fashionista feel. I think [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] just shines more!
3 Likes
I love both! They’re classic and well known, but not so common now. They both have the option of [name_f]Dottie[/name_f] as a cute nickname, but [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] has the added bonus of [name_f]Thea[/name_f] as a nickname. I think [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] just wins it slightly for me as it’s a little trendier.
1 Like
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] is heavier to me, elegant but clunky, a little more serious with literary vibes
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] is lighter, a little brighter and lively. I prefer [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] personally
2 Likes
dorothy → cottagecore storybook name
grandma granola crunchy name
vintage simple countryside name
typical english classic out of english speaking
countries?
very musical and reminding me of spring and baskets of flowers and bunnies and eggs for easter?
dorothea → german old grandma but nobilty or royalty name
very christian byzantine royalty feel
royalty netherlands name of past century
modern english name used for not too frilly royaltyness??
very heavy and full of royal flair or burden, depends on how you see it, very golden and white and violet
from a non english speaking point of view
2 Likes
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] to me is clunky, old-fashioned, buttoned-up, doilies, taffy sweets, vintage armoires, tea sets, eyeglasses, velvet.
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] to me is vibrant, vines on brick, vintage-with-a-twist, wood pianos, poems, pressed flowers, shaggy gardens, bright eyes, laughter.
1 Like
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] is fun, quirky, vintage that isn’t super trendy but has comeback around enough that I’d be delighted to meet a little [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]. Its pretty high on my own list and I voted for it.
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] is ok but reads very old school, like victorian era (idk if it was actually popular then, but thats the vibe I get), so it feels more like a historical name chosen specifically because its old than sweet grandma vintage thats back in fashion. It feels very clunky and dramatic which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I prefer the sweet long E ending and less prominent second syllable of [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f].
1 Like
@Youssarian I agree that [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] sounds vintage without having that vintage feel, thank you for describing this so well.
@Josie1497 It’s interesting how adding a syllable changes the pronunciation.
@tori101 [name_u]Love[/name_u] your descriptions!
@Hello1 The nickname options are pretty great, I’m not crazy about [name_f]Thea[/name_f] for some reason.
@heartwings What wonderful descriptions, I kind of like the royalness of [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f].
@sammaegre I agree [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] has more comeback potential, possibly because it has always been more popular than [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f].
Thanks everyone for your input. Does anyone think either of these names will become very popular in the next 15 years?
3 Likes
Kind of doubt either will hit crazy top 10 popularity but [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] has been steadily climbing for the last decade and is currently top 500 so I would expect it to continue on an upward swing. [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] is outside the top 1000 so I doubt it will gain enough traction to get popular but I would be surprised if it didn’t break the top thousand at least.
1 Like