Dorthea

Dorthea is a Scandinavian form of Dorothea, ultimately derived from the Greek elements doron, meaning gift, and theos, meaning god, giving the combined sense of gift of God. The name entered northern Europe through Christian veneration of Saint Dorothy, a fourth-century martyr whose story spread widely across medieval Europe. Dorthea is particularly associated with Danish and Norwegian naming traditions as a contracted vernacular adaptation of the longer Latin-Greek form. Related forms include Dorothea, Dorothy, Dorotea, and the short form Thea.