She’s a World War II heroine and a plum role for a ballerina.  If you’re looking for a rarity with French flair, this one might be ideal.

Thanks to Nessa for suggesting our Name of the Day:  Odette.

While the Germanic Odo is lost to history, he’s left behind a number of intriguing descendants.  We’ve already covered Ottilie.  This choice is equally obscure.  

Odette comes from Odo, which is usually said to mean wealthy.  The -ette ending betrays her French roots, and indeed, she likely started out as a nickname for Odilia, a medieval saint’s name.

The best known Odette is probably Swan Lake’s princess-turned-swan.  Tchaikovsky’s ballet is based on Russian folk tales, and has been performed frequently since debuting in 1877.  Odette is a white swan; the dancer who portrays her also plays the role of the evil, dark-feathered Odile - yet another variant of Odo.  The tale is familiar to the preschool set thanks to the animated version, The Swan Princess, released in 1994.

Parents have been inspired by the character over the years.  In fact, she charted in the US in 1895, 1899 and 1905 – though that only translates to a handful of newborn Odettes each year.  In France, the name was quite popular in the 1920s, and remained in use for many years, though it’s quite rare now.  We’ll turn to France for most of our Odettes.

In 1912, Odette Brailly Sansom was born in Amiens.  Her father served with distinction in World War I.  Odette was living in England when the second World War broke out.  Initially trained as a nurse, she would become an important part of the French underground.  After a double agent betrayed her, she was tortured and sent to a concentration camp.  But Odette survived, and testified against the guards in the war crimes trials.  By all accounts, she was a brave and selfless woman.

Sansom’s life story was turned into the movie Odette in 1950. Trevor Howard played the part of her fellow spy, Peter Churchill.

There’s another French Odette – Odette de Crecy, the wife of Charles Swann in Marcel Proust’s novel Remembrance of Things Past.  The work comes in at a staggering seven volumes, so we’ve never marched through it ourselves.  But we assume that Odette Swann’s name is rich with significance.

There’s also a river in France called the Odet.  While we find at least one Frenchman with the given name Odet, it’s not clear if either is related to Odo – though we imagine that’s the case.

If French names for girls really are on the rise, Odette could prove an appealing choice.  She’s easily pronounced in English without sacrificing her import status.  The ballet link means  that many will recognize the name.  And O names – Olivia, Oliver, Owen, Marco, Matteo and so on – are undeniably fashionable.  Just resist the urge to call her Odie for short, and this one might suit your daughter perfectly.