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Name Help: Getting to Doe

November 27, 2017 By appellationmountain 27 Comments

Name Help: Formal Names for Doe Update: She’s here! Welcome Odessa, called Doe.

Stephanie writes:

Hello, I need some ideas for a girls name that could have the nickname Doe.

I’m currently expecting my first child. We don’t know the gender yet (couple weeks!!), but I have no problem finding boy names.

My problem is girl names, more specifically I fell in love with the name Doe. It was a character in a book I love, but I just don’t know if dear hubby (or society for that matter) could go with Doe as the first name.

So I’m trying to find alternative names where I could use Doe as the nickname. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Please read on for my response, and leave your helpful suggestions in the comments.

Dear Stephanie –

Congratulations on your first baby!

We happen to have a family friend called Doe. To be clear, I don’t think she’s called Doe anywhere else than with our extended family. (What can I say? We’re serious nicknamers.) But I can say that it wears very well, and that it feels very much like a name.

But even in our age of Fox and Wren, Doe would be very daring as a given name.

It wouldn’t be unknown. A handful of girls received the name in the 1950s and 1960s.

That’s almost certainly due to Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, a successful model from the era. She was known professional as Dovima, from the first two letters of her three names. (How famous? Seriously famous. Richard Avedon photographed her in an Yves St. Laurent gown with elephants.) The nickname for her stage name? Doe.

Interestingly, Richard Avedon’s first wife was also called Doe. She was born Dorcas – a non-starter of a name in 2017, and maybe less than stylish then, too. She also became a model and actress, and may deserve credit for some of those 1950s-era Does.

All of this makes the nickname even more intriguing, but still suggests a formal option is required.

Our family friend is Doreen, but that name feels a little too 1950s for a 21st century baby.

Here are some that would work:

Dorothy – Dorothy shortens to all sorts of marvelous nicknames – Dolly and Dory and Dot! But Doe works, too. In fact, it’s a great modern, unexpected choice for a traditional, vintage girl’s name. And if Dorothy works, Dorothea could be an option, too.

Dominique, Domenica, Domino – Any of the feminine forms of Dominic feel like great ways to get to Doe. I love Domino, but it’s pretty bold. I think Domenica might be the safer choice.

Doria – Doria might be an elaboration of Dora, or it could be a feminine form of Dorian. Either way, it’s a pretty choice that fits in with so many ia-ending girl names today.

Dorinda – I can’t decide if Dorinda feels dated or fresh. I do think Lucinda is much neglected, so why not Dorinda? It caught my eye because of an actress named Dorinda Katz, sometimes known as Doe.

Dosia – Here’s one that might work. In Polish, Dosia can be short for names like Theodosia or Dorothea. It’s pronounced with a long ‘o’ and a ‘sh’ sound – doe sha.

Doveva – I’m fascinated by Doveva. It looks like an invented name based on Dove, but it actually comes from a Hebrew name meaning graceful.

Elodie – Or maybe the Doe sound doesn’t need to be in the beginning? Elodie has a strong ‘o’ and ‘d’ sound – just in reverse order. Still, I think it works.

Odette – Along the same lines, names like Odette and Odile reverse the ‘o’ and the ‘d’.

Overall, much as I’m drawn to choices like Elodie and Odette – and I’m personally comfortable with a stretch nickname! – my favorite is Dorothy.

Dorothy shares the same storybook quality as popular names like Alice and Penelope. Three-syllable, ends-in-y girl names have history galore. It’s classic, and it peaked in the 1920s. Since it usually takes about 100 years for a name to cycle in and out of fashion, that means Dorothy is prime for revival, and the numbers reflect it. It has climbed steadily in use over the last five years, currently sitting at #652. Plus, Doe feels like an obvious nickname option.

So Dorothy gets my enthusiastic vote! But I know readers will have more to offer, so let’s turn it over to the community.

What would you suggest as a formal name for Doe? I know I’ve overlooked some possibilities! Do you think Dorothy is ready for revival?

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Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    May 30, 2018 at 8:56 PM

    Thought I’d follow up, since I was the one who asked for suggestions. Happy to say that we had a little girl who we named Odessa! Aka my little Doe

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      May 30, 2018 at 9:42 PM

      Congratulations, Stephanie! And oh, Odessa called Doe is just plain brilliant!

      Reply
  2. Vanessa Hannan says

    January 26, 2018 at 3:34 PM

    I had a relative named Dorla and her nickname was Doe.

    Reply
  3. Valerie says

    December 2, 2017 at 12:43 PM

    Meadow can be shortened to “Doe”

    Reply
  4. onomastodon says

    December 1, 2017 at 3:10 AM

    There have been so many great ideas. I think Dorothy is a lovely ‘safe’ name, and many of the suggestions in the comments are excellent, too.
    I’ll add some more I don’t think have been mentioned. I’ve tried to include a range of styles, languages of origin etc.

    Ludovica (I have a particular soft spot for this name and it gives you Lu- options too)
    Gwendolen/Gwendolyn/Gwendoline
    Caledonia
    Edona
    Lido
    Sidonia
    Meadow
    Shadow
    Eldorada
    Dolores
    Donata, Donada, Donatella, Donatilia
    Andorra
    Dora
    Donegal
    Doriana, Doriane, Dorian
    Dovevet
    Dorsey
    Pandora
    Lidochka

    Or these deer-related names?:
    Rusa (Indonesian and Malaysian word for deer, scientific name of a number of species)
    Mazama (a genus of deer from Brazil)
    Dama (a type of gazelle, as well as the botanical name for Fallow Deer)
    Sika (type of deer, also known as Spotted Deer or Japanese Deer)

    Sadb / Sadbh (goddess from Irish mythology who is turned into a deer)
    Desirée (the name of a princess turned into a deer, from the fairytale ‘The White Doe’, or ‘The Doe in the Woods’)
    Mena (doe from Bambi II), Ena (Bambi’s aunt), Lana (Bambi’s niece)
    Holly (a reindeer from the world of Disney’s My Friends Tigger & Pooh)

    Sorry this was such a long list!

    Reply
    • onomastodon says

      December 1, 2017 at 3:55 AM

      Ooh, or Domrémy (another place name)

      Sorry – I clearly have a commenting problem!

      Reply
    • KaterinaS says

      December 2, 2017 at 11:49 PM

      Meadow is a great suggestion!

      Reply
  5. R says

    November 30, 2017 at 3:04 PM

    I know the point is to find a first name that leads to Doe… but maybe Doe as a middle would be worth considering too- a name like Ella Doe is so pretty..
    Another name to consider-
    Falene -the female doe from the book and movie Bambi. I always thought Falene sounded beautiful. It’s not “doe” but has some of the imagery of a doe and a beautiful sound.. 🙂

    Reply
    • R says

      November 30, 2017 at 3:08 PM

      Sorry I think it’s actually spelled Faline… either way it’s pretty 😉

      Reply
  6. Cass says

    November 29, 2017 at 11:46 PM

    If you like Dorothy , perhaps Doris?

    Reply
  7. Heather says

    November 29, 2017 at 5:55 PM

    I always like the idea of Deirdre with the nickname Doe!

    Reply
  8. Nessie says

    November 29, 2017 at 12:36 PM

    I would simply name her Dove, and call her Doe.

    Reply
  9. Imogen says

    November 29, 2017 at 7:12 AM

    Peridot! The possible nicknames Peri and Pez always kind of put me off, but I love Doe!.

    Reply
  10. Nicole Francois says

    November 28, 2017 at 11:21 PM

    My second vote is for Theodosia nn Doe. Google Theodosia Bartow Prevost. Total harass.

    Reply
  11. Nicole Francois says

    November 28, 2017 at 11:14 PM

    Sidonie!! The nn Doe would differentiate her from any Sydney’s too.

    Reply
  12. FE says

    November 28, 2017 at 7:48 AM

    At a stretch, Giselle could be called Doe for it’s similarity to Gazelle … even though the meaning is quite different.

    I even know someone named Gisella (hard G sound). Gazella? But the Giselle I know is a child and it’s very pretty.

    Or if not Doe, would you be brave enough for Fawn? You could still call her Doe.

    Reply
  13. Patricia says

    November 27, 2017 at 11:59 PM

    My favorite aunt was Dorathea; we children called her “Dodo” (like Doe twice). Doe from Dorathea — or Theadora — seems very natural to me.Yet I find those names rather heavy for a modern child, so I too would vote for Dosia.

    Reply
  14. EK says

    November 27, 2017 at 5:34 PM

    My husband’s cousin is called Doe. Her full name is Shenandoah.

    Reply
  15. Candy says

    November 27, 2017 at 3:32 PM

    I love the idea of getting to Doe from the initials D O. These leaves you with tons of wonderful combinations!

    Reply
  16. C in DC says

    November 27, 2017 at 1:03 PM

    Sedona and Theodosia are my favorites. Other possibilities: Indigo, Bardot.
    Ayala means “doe” and Tabitha “roe-deer or gazelle” in Hebrew.

    Reply
  17. R says

    November 27, 2017 at 12:59 PM

    I love Dorothy! – vintage style, literary tie, and
    nicknames. Doe is a great (and adorable) nn for Dorothy and sounds natural. Dominique is a pretty option too, and I like that it has the letters DO-and E :)…
    A couple other options-
    Dylan Olivia nn Doe
    Theodora
    Dionna

    Happy naming and congrats!

    Reply
  18. Sargjo says

    November 27, 2017 at 12:13 PM

    My favorite of the Dora names is Isadora. I also adore (;)) Idony/Idonie. I think Sedona would work for something more modern-I don’t know the other names you like to get a sense of your style. I also like Dido and Sidonie (which was one of Colette’s first names so it’s a bit literary).

    Reply
  19. Jaime says

    November 27, 2017 at 11:46 AM

    I think Dosia, nn Doe would be lovely. My grandmother was Jewel Dosia, although I think it was actually spelled Docia but pronounced the same. Theodosia would also be a lovely choice for nn Doe (or Teddy or Thea of Dad can’t get on board with Die for everyday use).

    Reply
  20. Eva says

    November 27, 2017 at 10:55 AM

    Love Dorothy!

    Any name ending in -dora also works in my opinion. Theodora, Isadora, etc. Theodora nickname Doe is probably my favorite!

    Reply
  21. Megan M. says

    November 27, 2017 at 10:39 AM

    I love the idea of Dosia!

    Reply
  22. Claire says

    November 27, 2017 at 10:38 AM

    Dorrit
    Doris
    Theodora
    Donna
    Eudora
    Eudoxie

    Reply
  23. Sage says

    November 27, 2017 at 7:37 AM

    My vote is for the name Dosia! It’s a beautiful name and already has the Doe name/sound that is being looked for!

    Reply

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