Is Dorothy a saint's name

Answer 1

Yes, as the female form of the masculine saint name Theodore, and in its own right. The parents of St. Dorothea of Caesarea [d. ca. 311] were said to have been martyred by Emperor Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus [c. December 22, 244-December 3, 311]. And she likewise became a martyr, possibly by order of Emperor Diocletian or possibly by order of Roman Governor Sapricius, aka Apricius. With her beheading, she converted Theophilus. For the subsequent martyr and saint had ridiculed her choice of torture and death over marriage to a non-Christian. He had asked her to supply him with apples and roses from Heaven. And he became a believer when a child angelically appeared with a basketful. Sts. Dorothea and Theophilus were given the shared feast day of February 6. As of 1969, however, Dorothea's name was dropped from the General Roman Calendar of Saints. For most of the information about her is considered legendary. The first known recorded mention of her is the Martyrologium Hieronymianum [Martyrology of Jerome]. It was anonymously written some 200 years after her death, and shares only her name, and the day and place of her martyrdom. The ancient port city of Caesarea is still in existence. It's about half-way between Tel Aviv and Haifa, on the Israeli Mediterranean coast. And St. Dorothea is still remembered, as the patron saint of brewers; brides and newlyweds; florists, gardeners, and horticulturists; and midwives. The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy honors her, through renowned flower cultivation and educational activities. Perhaps their most famous member was Lucia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos [March 28, 1907-February 13, 2005]. For Sister Lucia was one of three children who told of the appearances of Mary, Mother of Jesus, March-October 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. St. Dorothea of Alexandria lived about the same time as St. Dorothea of Caesarea. In similar fashion, she refused to marry Emperor Gaius Valerius Galerius Maximinus [c. November 20, 270-August 313]. Her refusal cost her all her possessions and money. She was forced into exile, during which she was beheaded around 320. The first known recorded mentions of her were by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea [c. 263-c. 339] and by history-minded monk Tyrannius Rufinus [340? 345? - 410].