Dora

Today I write about the girls' name Dora.

ORIGIN AND MEANING:

Dora is a short form of Dorothy, an English form of Dorothea. The name means "gift".

PRONOUNCIATION:

The name is pronounced "dawr-ah".

USAGE:

Dora was a top 100 name through the 1900s. It left the top 500 in 1977 and the top 1000 in the early 1990s. Dora is showing little sign of a comeback. Its usage increased from 73 to 101. 

FAMOUS PEOPLE:

  • Dora Russell (1894-1986), British feminist author who was the second wife of philosopher Bertrand Russell.
  • Dora Madison Burge (1990-), American actress. 

POP CULTURE:

  • Dora Spenlow, character in Charles Dickens's David Copperfield (1850).
  • Dora Winifred (D.W.) Read, Arthur's sister in PBS Kids series Arthur (1996-).
  • Dora Marquez, main character of Nick Jr's Dora The Explorer (2000-2015).
USIBILITY:

If it weren't for Dora The Explorer, this vintage name would've came back already. Yet, this name has been tied to the cartoon character for way too long. Besides, Dora The Explorer isn't a popular show anymore. It has showed little signs of a comeback, yet it has a long way to go. It was in the top 100 a century ago. 

If you find Nora and Cora too common, Dora can substitute. 

NAME STYLES:

Short and Sweet, Vintage

SIBLING NAME IDEAS:

Sister names: Alma, Betsy, Dixie, Gertrude, Hilda, Iva, June, Lula, Oona, Susanna
Brother names: Alfred, Bertram, Chester, Frank, Hiram, Ivan, Linus, Milton, Percy, Wilbur

MIDDLE NAME IDEAS:
  • Dora Caroline
  • Dora Greer
  • Dora Alice
  • Dora Belle
  • Dora Zoe
  • Dora Phoebe
  • Dora Frances
  • Dora Lucy
  • Dora Delilah
  • Dora Juniper
Thank you for reading this week's first "Name of the Week" post.

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