Dorcas

Meaning: (Gazelle, Deer or Doe or at least denoting an animal of the deer kind. Famous bearer: The New Testament Dorcas who 'abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy,' was a charitable woman raised from the dead by Peter.)

Origin: (Greek, Biblical)

Pronunciation: (DAWR-kəs (English), dor'-kas, DOHR-kis, to hear how this name is pronounced go to this site and run your cursor over this name to hear how it is pronounced: http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-dorcas )

Gender: Female

In “The Winters Tale” by William Shakespeare this is the name of the shepherdess in the play. I first heard this when I was watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 when America Ferrara’s character Carmen *see on list of posts* played Dorcas in “The Winters Tale” when she went to some acting camp thing. Then the other day I saw it again and I decided to add it here even though it might not be the most beautiful sounding or looking name. The meanings are decent and definitely exude that feminine aspect from long ago when deer’s and gazelles were supposed to be delicate and so certain women were described similarly, doe eyed, delicate, graceful like a deer, ect. Good nickname options are Dora or Dory / Dori.

Unfortunately it sounds like dork and everyone in message forums for this name have basically said it, a lot, so that could be a pain for the author or character and reader alike, but it could be used and show the struggle of having such a name. Maybe too the characters parents can be lovers of the bard and they chose the name because “The Winters Tale” is their favorite William Shakespeare play.