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Doreen ( UK: /ˈdɔːrn/ DOR-een, US: /dɔːˈrn/ 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, [1] which is related to the -ín suffix used in Irish, usually signifying small size or as an endearment. [2] [3]

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". [4] It is thus related to many other feminine given names, including Dorian, Dorinda, [1] Theodora and Isidora. Theodore is the masculine equivalent. [4] Diminutive forms include Dee, Dodie, Dolly, Dory, Dot, Dottie, and Dotty. [1]

The first known use of Doreen may have been in Edna Lyall's 1894 novel Doreen: The Story of a Singer. [1] [5]

Doreen may refer to the following people:

In arts, entertainment, and media

In government and politics

In sport

In other fields

  • Doreen Kartinyeri (1935–2007), Australian historian
  • Doreen Kimura (1933–2013), Canadian psychologist and educator
  • Doreen Massey (geographer) (1944–2016), British social scientist and geographer
  • Doreen Othero (ca. 1960), Kenyan, regional coordinator for population, health, and the environment research and policy development for the East African Community
  • Doreen Warriner (1904–1972), British economist who saved Czech refugees in World War II
  • Doreen Wicks (1935–1904), Canadian nurse, humanitarian and Citizenship Judge

Fictional characters

References

  1. ^ a b c d Campbell, Mike (16 November 2019). "Meaning, origin and history of the name Doreen". Behind the Name. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  2. ^ "The Irish diminutive suffix -een". Sentence first. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Old Irish first names and nicknames". Ireland Reaching Out. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b Campbell, Mike (25 April 2021). "Meaning, origin and history of the name Dora". Behind the Name. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  5. ^ Lyall, Edna (14 January 2009). "Doreen. The Story of a Singer, by Edna Lyall". Retrieved 6 February 2023 – via Project Gutenberg Canada.