Dora

Dora is a short form shared by several names containing the Greek idea of a gift. Dorothy and Theodora combine that element with God, while Isidora refers to a gift of Isis. Dora can therefore carry slightly different family connections, even though the gift element provides a common thread.

Literature gives it an independent history through Dora Spenlow in Charles Dickens's David Copperfield. Younger readers may first know the name through Dora the Explorer, a very different fictional bearer. These references show how Dora has moved between adult literature and children's storytelling while remaining a complete personal name. A family can choose Dora on its own or use it as the everyday form of one of its longer relatives.