Nameberry of the Day: Dorothea
April 4
Born April 4, 1802, Dorothea Dix was an American activist who campaigned for better treatment for those who were impoverished and living with mental illness.
In 1841, having observed firsthand the degradation and inhumane treatment of people suffering with mental illness, Dorothea Dix traveled around prisons and institutions to gather evidence. She then submitted a detailed report to the legislator of Massachusetts, leading to a bill that enlarged and reorganized the Worcester Asylum.
Over the next forty years, Dorothea Dix continued this work, encouraging legislators across the US and Canada to establish or improve state hospitals for the mentally ill. She fought for the installation of well-trained and compassionate staff and her advocacy led to the creation of 32 new institutions.
Dix inherited the name Dorothea from her grandmother, but for the last fifty years, Dorothea has tended to be rejected in favor of the short, stylish Thea or the lighter, vintage Dorothy.
Deriving from Late Greek and meaning ‘gift of god’, Dorothea is the name of two early saints, the heroine of George Eliot’s Middlemarch, and more recently, the name of a Taylor Swift song.
It has the same meaning and components as the popular Theodore and while Dorothea has yet to experience the same level of resurgence, it has crept back onto the UK charts, currently sitting tentatively in the 800s.
Perhaps too clunky, too grand, or too ‘old’ feeling for some, Dorothea could also be considered a sharp, strong classic, with powerful namesand great nickname potential.
In case you missed these Nameberries of the Day:
Nameberry of the Day: Pearl
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Nameberry of the Day: Buddy
Bernard Rich, better known as Buddy, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader, who died on April 2, 1987. Taking up the drums at just 2 years old, Buddy Rich went on to become one of the most influential drummers of all time. Alongside creating his own band,