Dorothy-Rose / Dorothy Rose

[Whattonamebaby]

I'm expecting our first DD, and we really want to use the name Dorothy Rose / Dorothy-Rose. Both names have family significance for us. I really like the sound of Dorothy-Rose and think it gives more flexibility for nicknames /different variations as she gets older - but am worried that hyphenating (especially with -Rose which I know gets lumped with -Mae names) will be judged or something she grows to hate. Equally if we don't hyphenate, my concern is that no ones ever going to use the Rose and she will just be Dorothy, which I still like but not as much as Dorothy Rose. Any views from those with hyphenated names or who have given their kids hyphenated names? Struggling to make our minds up so all views appreciated!

Lovely names but horrible with a hyphen. The names are traditional, with no heritage of being shackled together.

It feels like the hyphen is an attempt to control how the name is experienced and used. You should let go, and allow people's use of the name to evolve naturally.

Don't hyphenate it nobody will call her Dorothy-Rose and it will make the job of learning to write her own name longer when she starts school.

I've got a hyphenated surname (been family name for over a century -)... Loads of computer programmes don't recognise it...

Friends were stopped at airport for 24 hours as their hyphenated name was slightly different on the manifest and their passport... It's a REAL pita... Especially in countries where hyphenated names aren't usual...

Even if you hyphenate I think most will call her Dorothy. So I wouldn’t, Dorothy Rose is lovely

It’s a lovely name
I just dread to think what tacky abbreviation it will evolve into though

No hyphen. At school she'll end up being called Doctor.

DottyRo!

No hyphen. I have a hyphenated name and it’s extremely awkward filling out official forms as some will and some won’t recognise hyphens leading to confusion about middle names ( I don’t actually have one). I only ever go by the short version of my first name anyway.

I wouldn’t hyphenate either, nobody is going to call her “Dorothy-Rose” every single time they say your DDs name so it’s pointless.

Dorothy Rose is a lovely name though, as is Dot/Dotty for short

No hyphen. It’s too much of a mouthful. My niece has (had) a hyphenated name. It was used for all of 5 minutes. She goes by the shortened version of the first name (so Dotty if it were Dorothy). Even her wedding invitation has the shortened version.

Realistically Dorothy rose is too long to be what she goes by on a daily basis by everyone so have a think what shortening you want if you go with the hyphenated version.

If you don’t love Dorothy on its own you can’t use it as the first element of a hyphenated name as no matter how you try to force the full name it won’t happen, especially with 3 syllables.
(I would use it on its own, because I do love it, but it sounds like you don’t like it enough.)
Rose is fine as a middle name even if it is the Louise of its day as middle names don’t matter.

Doh-Roe would be my first thought, if the hyphenation forced me to feel the names were locked to each other.

Don’t hyphenate.

If you want both names said then you need to use a hyphen. Mumsnet hates hyphens but plenty of people use them. If you don't hyphenate then Rose will never be used.
I know an Annie-Rose who is always her full name.

Dorothy Rose is beautiful and without hyphen..

Don’t hyphenate it. Dorothy already has 3 syllables on its own.
Hyphenated names are definitely NOT my cup of tea. Just too long and too many syllables when most people seem to like shortened names.

I like them together. I think if you want them said together you kind of do need to hyphenate as no-one else will call her first name and second name together. School registers etc will drop it off.