I am wondering if anyone has any insight for a little quandary I’ve been having. I am not pregnant, but I just love thinking about names.
My grandmother is named “[name_f]Donna[/name_f]” --a name I’ve always hated, especially as somebody who speaks fluent Italian --even though I obviously love her. My fiance’s two grandmothers are [name_f]Doris[/name_f] and [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]. I don’t like the sound of [name_f]Doris[/name_f], and [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] reminds me of the [name_m]Wizard[/name_m] of [name_m]Oz[/name_m]. Nonetheless, I feel like it would be very sweet to honor all three ladies when we have a child.
Any suggestions on “do” names? I’ve thought of the following, but I’m not really sold on any of them.
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorotea[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]
[name_f]Isidora[/name_f] --I’m worried it could lead to teasing–“is a door”…
[name_f]Idonea[/name_f]
Doralie
Eleadora
[name_m]Donatien[/name_m]
[name_u]Dorian[/name_u] --not sure about the literary connotation…
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] --it kind of reminds me of the chipmunk, unfortunately…
Heliodore
Eleodoro
[name_m]Esidore[/name_m]
[name_m]How[/name_m] serendipitous — and convenient! I love that you’ll be able to honor several important women in your families with one name. Of your list, I like [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] and [name_f]Isadora[/name_f] (especially if you use nicknames — [name_u]Izzy[/name_u], [name_f]Thea[/name_f]), and [name_u]Dorian[/name_u] and [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] for boys, though I understand your hesitations about both. The chipmunk association might be minimized if you began to associate the name with your own child, and nickname [name_u]Theo[/name_u] or [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] could help too. Other ideas…
Girls:
[name_f]Adora[/name_f]
[name_u]Dominique[/name_u]
[name_f]Dorrit[/name_f] — OK, it’s a bit offbeat, but I love the Dickens reference, and the name has a lot of spunk. Not sure if it’s really usable though.
[name_f]Eudora[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] — Subtle, but esp. with the nickname possibility of [name_f]Dolly[/name_f], it could work.
[name_f]Sedona[/name_f] — Also subtle, but it shares the don- part of [name_f]Donna[/name_f], especially.
[name_f]Sidonie[/name_f] — Same here.
[name_f]Theodosia[/name_f] or [name_f]Dosia[/name_f]/[name_f]Dosya[/name_f]
Boys:
[name_m]Aldo[/name_m]
[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] (love the nn. [name_m]Dom[/name_m]!)
[name_m]Donovan[/name_m]
[name_u]Douglas[/name_u]
[name_m]Haldor[/name_m] — Norse mythology, a bit dusty, but I see [name_u]Loki[/name_u] and [name_m]Odin[/name_m] popping up…
[name_m]Laredo[/name_m]
[name_m]Leonardo[/name_m]
[name_m]Ludovic[/name_m] or [name_m]Ludo[/name_m]
[name_m]Salvador[/name_m]
Thankfully, it sounds like you have time to settle on something you like
I liked [name_f]Amadora[/name_f] for you (ah-muh-dor-uh) because it means “one who has the gift of love” …she would have the gift of her grandmothers’ love built right into her name. Possible nicknames “[name_f]Maddie[/name_f]” or “[name_f]Ami[/name_f]” (ah-mee). Would be beautiful in the middle spot with lots of names… [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] [name_f]Amadora[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] [name_f]Amadora[/name_f], [name_u]Delaney[/name_u] [name_f]Amadora[/name_f], etc.
A more modern type of girl’s name you might like: [name_u]London[/name_u]. I like it combined with something soft like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] etc. [name_f]Meadow[/name_f] is also a possiblity. Or [name_u]Devon[/name_u], even though it splits up the d & the on.
