The baby name Ottilie blends medieval roots with current style.
Thanks to Lola for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF OTTILIE?
Plenty of names come from the Germanic element odo, meaning wealth or fortune. Otto is the most obvious.
Ottilie is a feminine form of Odo – one of many.
Worth noting: some argue the name could come from the Old German uodil, meaning heritage.
But typically, it’s part of a sprawling family of names, including:
Odilia (or Odila) was an 8th-century nun who is considered the patron saint of Alsace. She was apparently born blind but gained sight when she was baptized.
- Palindrom name Otto, an obvious derivation from odo
- Spirited Otis, which started out as a surname
- The name Odilia was probably an early feminine form, worn by an eighth-century nun. It’s said Saint Odilia – or maybe Odila – was born blind, but miraculously gained sight following her baptism
- The similar Ottilia is also sometimes heard
- Odile and Odette are famous from the ballet Swan Lake, as well as the Oscar-winning 2010 movie Black Swan
- British-sounding Ottoline remains known thanks to the legacy of Lady Ottoline Morrell, an early 1900s patron of the arts, known for hosting many of the leading thinkers during the first World War and post-war era in England
- And then there’s the baby name Ottilie, which sounds French but is generally considered German. Odilie might be an older form.
FAMOUS OTTILIES: FICTIONAL AND REAL
Most of the early women known by the name were, in fact, German.
- Ottilie Assing was born in Hamburg. A writer and journalist known for her feminisit and abolitionist beliefs, she moved to the United States and wrote for European publications. As part of her work, she interviewed Frederick Douglass. The two had a long and tumultous relationship, spanning decades.
- Nineteenth-century Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson penned a short poemTo Ottilie. It’s not clear who the inspiration was for the poem’s name; Stevenson’s wife was known as Fanny.
- A German socialite, the Baroness Ottilie von Goethe was the daughter-in-law of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. She was known for her assistance to the famous writer as he finished Faust.
- German silent film star Tilla Durieux was born Ottilie Godeffroy.
- Ottilie Metzger was a Frankfurt-born opera singer well known in the early 1900s.
- Irish-born jazz singer Ottilie Patterson found success in the 1950s and 60s. She was actually born Anna Ottilie, but dropped her first name.
- Known as Tilly Losch, Vienna-born dancer turned actress turned painter eventually married and became the Countess of Carnarvon.
The name faded as the twentieth century progressed, but it didn’t disappear entirely.
- Truman Capote gave the name to a character in his 1950 short story “The House of Flowers.” It became a musical in 1954.
- Another short story, “Random Quest” was published in 1961, by British author John Wyndham. A 1971 adaptation starred Joan Collins as the character named Ottilie Harshom.
HOW IS OTTILIE PRONOUNCED?
So while Ottilie recalls French origin names like Rosalie and Sylvie, Ottilie is traditionally big in Germany.
That means the name’s traditional pronunciation is more like oh TEEL ee ah.
English language speakers, of course, would sound it out and say something more like ot-i-lee. Except Americans tend to say Ts more like Ds: ahd-ah-lee, almost like Adalie.
In Britian, the T is enunciated, making Ottilie and Adalie two different names.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME OTTILIE?
Perhaps pronunciation is the reason Ottilie is a Top 100 favorite in England and Wales.
In the US, it’s nearly unknown.
That wasn’t always the case. Circa 1890, this name appeared in the Top 1000 with other vintage gems: Zenobia, Eulalie, Rosamund.
The baby name Ottilie last appeared in the US rankings in 1904.
But lately that’s changing. The name was given to 67 girls in the US in 2023. That marks a new high. In fact, the name doubled in use from 2022.
One possible reason for the rise: influencer Jordan Haase welcomed twins in March of 2023 named Archie Calvin Cole and Ottilie Campbell Marie.
OTTILIE NICKNAMES
Another benefit to Ottilie: plenty of nicknames.
Tillie or Tilly is the obvious choice. But it might also shorten to Lottie, Ollie, Otti/Ottie, or even, for something playful, Otter.
OVERLOOKED GEM
Another O-name, Olivia, has been a fast favorite in the US and Europe for most of the twenty-first century. No surprise, then, that O names like Octavia and Ophelia, Oliver and Owen, feel equally stylish.
Maybe that opens the door for Ottilie.
It’s a name that feels antique and a little bit dusty, but undeniably pretty – an overlooked gem that deserves a closer look.
What do you think of the name Ottilie?
First published on July 10, 2008. It was revised on September 24, 2012 and again on November 26, 2024.
My Opa was an Otto. We’re expecting number three (another April baby!), and while Otto itself is on our shortlist should the baby be a boy, Ottilie is on our longlist for a potential girl.
In the novel Lord Attenbury’s Emeralds Jill Paton Walsh named one of her characters Ottilie. The mystery was a recreation of the Lord Peter Wimsey world originally created by Dorothy L. Sayers.
My mother’s maiden name means “Otto’s Son”, so Otto made my short list for middle names, until I realized Peter’s initials would have been P.O.S.
I’ve always loved Ottilie (and “O” names in general.) With it’s similarity to Natalie, I like that Ottilie feels familiar, but it’s actually really rare… exactly my style. It’s too bad I could never sell the name to my other half.
Heh, I had this name on my long list for a girl (spelled Othilie), and it didn’t go over well with the few people I mentioned it to. It’s one of those names that sounds better said with a British accent, because Americans and Canadians tend to lose the crispness of the T sound and instead say something that sounds like Oddily or Oddly.
I think it’s a name that’s pretty in the abstract but perhaps not all that practical in the North American context.
Ditto this. I love the way it looks and feels and if I were British I might seriously consider it. Unfortunately the way I pronounce it sounds like Oddily and that just doesn’t work.
I wonder if it can be spelled Ottilia? It sounds very pretty.
Hmm. Maybe I’m pronouncing Ottilie different from the rest of you. I say “OH tih lee” or “oh tih LEE”. To me it’s not clunky, has nothing to do with the sound of words like oddity. I came across a relative in my genealogy, early part of the 20th century, named Otelia. This I would pronounce ‘oh TEAL ya’ but her name was sometimes written as Odelie. But I don’t know how she said it. I would say that “OH da lee” or possibly “oh DEAL ee”. I think it’s a great name. Very uncommon. I loved learning that it comes from the same source as Otto. Tilly is a cute nn. I like Tilly as a name on its own as well.
Obviously I love this one — my Ottilie is most frequently called Otts or Til.
Ottilie is one of my favourite names. A character in the opera “Ariadne auf Naxos” is called Ottonie. This might be an interesting alternative.
I love 3 syllable names, as they flow well with my simple last name. I think Ottilie is a fresh alternative to all the other ee names and I would seriously consider it. Also, I think “Lottie” would be a great nn for Ottilie.
Marcia Gay Harden has a Eulalia, with an A at the end. 🙂 Thanks for making her the NotD! I look forward to it.
Sorry about the Basil drama! I would never, ever, ever close for comments! Intentionally. 😮
Fawlty Towers – d’oh! Completely forgot about Fawlty Towers!
Eulalie will be August 5 and Zuleika August 9. There’s a celeb with a baby Eulalie, but I can’t recall *who* it is at the moment. Zuleika, though – that’s gonna be a wild one!