If you follow celebrity baby names, you’ve probably been wondering what [name_u]Zooey[/name_u] Deschanel named her little one. And [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] Otter is certainly very [name_u]Zooey[/name_u] Deschanel!
Personal thoughts: I don’t mind it. [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] is on-trend even though the name itself isn’t super popular and with the popularity of [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], and [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] I could see it gaining traction. It’s actually a lot higher ranked than I would have guessed! I think it’s cute. Otter… well, I tend to say that anything goes in the middle as long as it’s not offensive so I guess I should stand by that. [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] Otter may sound like [name_u]Emmet[/name_u] Otter’s little sister ([name_u]Emmett[/name_u] Otter? Am I old?), but I imagine she’ll go by [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] day-to-day.
I can see it on a little girl or an old lady, but I don’t see [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] Otter aging well on adolescents or adults. It’s very adorable, however.
I think [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] is lovely. If she thinks of her name as too cutesy when she grows up, she can always go by [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] (it works the other way 'round, too). I like Otter as a nickname for [name_m]Otto[/name_m] (or a water-loving child), not so much as full name, but I don’t think it’s any different than [name_m]Fox[/name_m] or [name_m]Tiger[/name_m], and at least the former is considered usable by many people.
Obviously I love otters, but this is basically how I feel about it too. I tend to like names that will give the animal nn: [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], [name_f]Ottilia[/name_f], [name_f]Ottoline[/name_f]/Ottolina, Otso (bonus bear nn), [name_m]Otis[/name_m], etc. [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] feels cutesy to me, but when it comes down to it there are a lot of names that end in that sound that it really shouldn’t matter ([name_f]Sophie[/name_f], [name_f]Zoey[/name_f], [name_f]Chloe[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], etc.). They will be adults soon enough! [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I would have loved to see [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] [name_f]Ottoline[/name_f] nn Otter, I don’t think the name is that crazy compared to a lot of other celebrity baby names.
It kind of sounds like ‘el sea otter’ as if someone was trying to say ‘the sea otter’ in Spanish
I mean, I wouldn’t choose the name myself, but it’s not so bad. [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] is a nice first name, and as long as Otter is just a middle name it should be fine.
I generally think it’s a good thing when people don’t take themselves too seriously, and I think she falls into that category. However, I think that naming a baby should be taken seriously by everyone. The baby has no choice in the matter, after all! [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] Otter sounds like a character out of a book geared at toddlers. It just sounds so juvenile. Your child is not a calico critter. I mean, I really like lemurs and think they are fantastic animals, but I’d probably come up with something a little better than [name_u]Sammy[/name_u] Lemur.
Couldn’t they at least have used the scientific name?!
It’s become a name that has definitely grown on me. I even added [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] to my top favs. It’s think it’s adorable.
I don’t love Otter, but it could be personal to them and if so, I think that’s really cool. It’s a quirky little name and many people never find out a persons middle name unless they ask or they’re told, so I approve!
Otter is a little strange, but it is only a middle name - if she’s embarrassed by it, nobody has to know! It’s offset by the first name, too, which is pretty standard, although very sweet. I’ve definitely heard worse (cough [name_f]Moxie[/name_f] Crimefighter)
I love [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] and I think Otter is cute! I think its a nice way to use something unusual without baring a child with a silly over the top name
We named our son (now 6 months old) [name_m]Willem[/name_m] Otter … so I obviously think that Otter is a perfectly acceptable, adorable and awesome middle name.
I’m actually kind of blown away at how many people take issue with it. There’s a whole lot of animal names out there, so I don’t see what the big deal is. ‘[name_m]Fox[/name_m]’ babies are everywhere! Are otters just not trendy enough (yet)?
I think @ottertails hit the nail on the head. [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] [name_f]Ottoline[/name_f] would have been a stunner, and no less whimsical for having the informal nickname Otter.
