Doreen (given name)

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Doreen ({{IPAc-en|uk|ˈ|d|ɔːr|iː|n}} {{respell|DOR|een}}, {{IPAc-en|us|d|ɔː|ˈ|r|iː|n}} {{respell|dor|EEN}}), also occasionally spelt Dorean or Dorine, is a feminine given name, usually found in English-speaking countries. It is a combination of Dora with the suffix -een, which is related to the {{lang|ga|-ín}} suffix used in Irish, usually signifying small size or as an endearment.{{cite web | title=The Irish diminutive suffix -een | website=Sentence first | date=16 January 2019 | url=https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2019/01/16/the-irish-diminutive-suffix-een/ | access-date=6 February 2023}}{{cite web | title=Old Irish first names and nicknames | website=Ireland Reaching Out | date=18 August 2022 | url=https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/news/old-irish-first-names-and-nicknames | access-date=6 February 2023}}

Dora is a variant of Dorothy / Dorothea, which derives from the Late Greek name Δωρόθεος (Dorotheos), which meant "gift of god" (from δῶρον/doron meaning "gift" and θεός/theos meaning "god".{{cite web | last=Campbell | first=Mike | title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Dora | website=Behind the Name | date=25 April 2021 | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/dora | access-date=6 February 2023}} It is thus related to many other feminine given names, including Dorian, Dorinda,{{cite web | last=Campbell | first=Mike | title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Doreen | website=Behind the Name | date=16 November 2019 | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/doreen | access-date=6 February 2023}} Theodora and Isidora. Theodore is the masculine equivalent. Diminutive forms include Dee, Dodie, Dolly, Dory, Dot, Dottie, and Dotty.

The first known use of Doreen may have been in Edna Lyall's 1894 novel Doreen: The Story of a Singer.{{cite web | last=Lyall | first=Edna | title=Doreen. The Story of a Singer, by Edna Lyall | via= Project Gutenberg Canada | date=14 January 2009 | url=https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/lyall-doreen/lyall-doreen-00-h-dir/lyall-doreen-00-h.html | access-date=6 February 2023}}

Doreen may refer to the following people:

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Fictional characters

References