Regarding: Subject: OT - can anyone shed light on this name? From: Dora Smith <[email protected]> > I was named in part after Dora in the book, David Copperfield. . . > any guesses . . about Dora, . . David's relationship with her, . . > would have led my father to name me after her? . . . > was the book nothing but a combination of 19th century soap > opera (that serial novels thing), and social commentary? > Yours, > Dora Smith But Dora, you're sounding a bit melodramatic yourself. G K Chesterton wrote in his review of Copperfield, "man's own life is always a melodrama." I think everyone loved Dora, especially Dickens. She was described by W T Shore thusly, " . . Dora is a wonderful piece of work, perfect in every detail; so pretty, so helpless, so childlike; she lives for us, we feel that we have met her . . . with all her little follies, her short- comings and her sweet lovableness." That sounds good enough for me; but a very enjoyable query, your post. Still not sure about the Chester county connection. Regards, Clay