This name has really started to grow on me. I have always found it to be beautiful and luscious, but I ALWAYS associated it with [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s tragic “heroine” which also makes the name a little dark and weighty. I think he might have even made the name up for her.
I see it frequently on Nameberry, which has been influencing my view on how accessible this name might be.
Is the association too strong? Too negative? Or is this name moving beyond its origins?
[name_f]My[/name_f] issue with [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] is not that the character died a tragic death, it’s that I just don’t like her as a character at all. I find [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] weak, submissive, and passive. She listens blindly and indiscriminately to what her father and brother say, even if they’re wrong. She doesn’t even try to stand up for herself or her boyfriend ([name_m]Hamlet[/name_m]). Dying trying to achieve a goal/defend yourself or someone else, e.g. [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], is honourable. Killing yourself because you couldn’t handle the situation like [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] did? Not so much. (And there’s a difference between doing horrible/stupid things and doing nothing wrong but having horrible things done to you.)
[name_f]My[/name_f] rule for character names is, if they have character traits I want my child to aspire to like intelligence, loyalty, etc. and they’re a good character deep down, I would use it even if their story is sad.
I agree though that [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] has a beautiful sound and an interesting, mysterious vibe. It’s one of my “love but can’t/wouldn’t use” names.
I do wonder how many people would pick up on the character reference though. I’m a huge [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] fan so I saw it right away, but I don’t think a lot of people I know [name_m]IRL[/name_m] would. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if they’d studied the play years ago, most people don’t remember a whole lot they read in school.
I really like [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]. The [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] connection is a bit of a downer, but, to be honest, these days I would be more worried about a connection from [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] than [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m]. Also, so many biblical or mythological names are tragic, but people get past them. I always thought [name_f]Leah[/name_f]'s story in the bible was so sad, but that name is very popular.
Personally, I really like [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], both the character and the name. The tragic associations don’t stop people from using [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], who is a much less likable character, [name_f]IMO[/name_f]. I don’t know that [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] is particularly accessible (at least outside of nameberry,) but I wouldn’t let that stop you from using it.
And if you find you need some more positive/feminist associations with the name, you could try looking up the play Reviving [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]. Or just read some of the [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] analyses out there and come to your own conclusions about her character.
I think you give too much credit to the general population. I know everyone reads [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] in high school, but I don’t think many even remember [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]'s name (though they may vaguely remember her character.) Or maybe I just don’t give the general population enough credit. Either way, I feel like the character shouldn’t put you off unless you’re a huge [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] fan who has a strong association with it. In fact, [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] was once relatively popular. It reached #236 in 1880 according to US SS names list, but faded into obscurity since. The last time it was in the top 1000 was 1958 when it hit #888.
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] is a gorgeous name. To be quite honest, I don’t think the general population would hear the name [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] and gasp in shock. [name_m]Just[/name_m] about everyone has a high school English teacher who assigns [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m], but whether or not everyone actually reads it is another matter. Anyway, I think the only thing most people remember about [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] is “to be or not to be.” And I think the [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] criticisms are too harsh sometimes - she was a teenage girl who’d lived her entire life in the Danish royal palace, completely sheltered - but that’s something else entirely.
I’m with @geeknamezyo - I find [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] to be a much more simpering, annoying, grating sort of character! What people see in her is way beyond me. [name_f]My[/name_f] problem with [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] is that she’s so depressing to watch throughout the play–it’s been a while since I got into [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m], but I remember feeling like she just gave up, that she didn’t try to overcome anything, and it sort of played out my worst fears of what could have happened to me, if I had just given up and let my depression rule my life, let it crash and burn and give into the dark tendencies that filled my head. I think it’s an ethereal name, and generally I don’t think about the literary connotations behind it because I love [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] as a name so much, but I definitely wouldn’t want my daughter to be like [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], and that has me re-thinking [name_f]Violet[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f] on my own list now. I just liked that it had a tie to [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], even if I didn’t like the actual character, and I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Violet[/name_f] and [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] together, but hmm. It’s a beautiful, ethereal, almost wintry feel about it, and I love the sound and the way it looks, but yeah, I’m not keen on the actual character at all.
I love [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] actually. 
I agree with southern.maple here, although, [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] was never an option in my school years. We had;
[name_m]Romeo[/name_m] and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], The Merchant of [name_f]Venice[/name_f], A Catcher in the [name_m]Rye[/name_m], The Great [name_m]Gatsby[/name_m], [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Flies, A Complicated Kindness, A Tree Grows in [name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u], [name_f]Angela[/name_f]'s Ashes, A [name_m]Doll[/name_m]'s House, and [name_m]Oedipus[/name_m] [name_u]Rex[/name_u] when I was in school (although I didn’t get to read some of these). I think I did A Tree Grows In [name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u] for a ‘coming of age’ book report. But yeah, definitely no [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m].
To be honest, (as sad as this sounds) half of my grade 12, advanced English class, actually didn’t know who wrote [name_m]Othello[/name_m] or Macbeth. If it helps, my mum suggested that I have twin boys named [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] and [name_m]Bennett[/name_m] earlier in the year. When I replied with 'I love both names, but wouldn’t that be too much [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u]?", my mum, very realistically came back with 'and how many people did you go to school with who actually know who [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] is?". [name_f]My[/name_f] list of people was actually made up of 5 students…it was rather sad.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], it’s a lovely name.
Oh wow… I’m not surprised though. Most of my friends didn’t know who [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] was until they met me and heard me talking about her all the time. At first I was like wow, isn’t she one of the “greats” of English literature?! But they didn’t know who Dickens, [name_m]Hemingway[/name_m], the Brontës, etc. were either, so well…
@bonfireazalea - haha I started reading [name_f]Jane[/name_f] when I was in grade 5, my teacher was beyond surprised, and my classmates didn’t understand at all. Meanwhile, I was happily going on about it. I think I read [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] the first time around then too. I was an odd 10 year old.
I just think it’s a beautiful name and don’t particularly care about the Shakespeare character not being entirely positive, of course, she was no Viola - but I think the fact it’s Shakespearean just makes it inherently positive regardless of specific acts or traits (his characters where often satirical for example - in which case you could argue that the social commentary he was using them to make was more important than the characters themselves)
I’d also add to the points made about people not even knowing about the Shakespeare character to begin with - going to high school in Canada really emphasized the lack of appreciation/knowledge for Shakespeare not just in people my age, but of teachers. There’s just A LOT more importance placed on English literature (and language) in the UK I think. In my first English class in Canada our teacher was like ‘‘Hey, we’re not studying Hamlet because people don’t understand it anymore’’ which was a massive shock to me, being used to teachers in the UK implying you’re stupid and lazy if you can’t read that sort of text and write essays on complex themes. I honestly love Shakespeare - my all time favourite literary work is Twelfth Night, followed by Romeo and Juliet and maybe I’m just a looser haha, but my appreciation of those plays is close to godly (I could live without Jane Austen; with the exception of Dickens, that era of literature certainly isn’t a favourite).
Okay I’ve been digressing. I think it’s beautiful, and the Shakespeare character, whilst not fully irrelevant, isn’t a massive deal. I would use Ophelia in a heartbeat.
If this next baby is a girl, we plan to name her [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]. [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] was mainly my choice, mostly because I think it is one of the most gorgeous names in the world. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband was a bit more wary of using it, since he does a unit on “[name_m]Hamlet[/name_m]” every year in his classes. (He’s a high school English teacher.) While “[name_m]Hamlet[/name_m]” is his favorite Shakespearean play, he’s not that fond of the character of [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]. However, he agreed with me that, ignoring the character, it’s a beautiful name and eventually came around to loving it, too. We now think of it as honoring his love of “[name_m]Hamlet[/name_m]” and [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] in general, not specifically the character of [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]. It also helps that there are other associations with the name. There’s [name_f]Ofelia[/name_f] from the movie “[name_m]Pan[/name_m]'s Labyrinth” and a Danish saint named [name_f]Ofelia[/name_f], who might have been the inspiration behind [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]'s name in “[name_m]Hamlet[/name_m]”. (I’ve never been able to find out when [name_m]Saint[/name_m] [name_f]Ofelia[/name_f] supposedly lived, but if she was before [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s time, it easy to see him hearing of the Danish saint and deciding to name a Danish character after her.)
It’s only tragic if you’ve 1. read [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] and 2. remember what you read in [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] Most students don’t ready [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] beyond high school, and high school was a loooong time ago for many! To tell you the truth, the only reason I remember [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]'s character is because my English teacher had a poster of [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m] (that depicted [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]'s drowning/suicide) hanging on the wall all year. I barely remember the play. The poster has stuck with me. I think a child’s own personality and life will dwarf any literary associations. I also think an association is different from a name’s meaning. [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] is a character and something happened to her. Take “[name_u]Rue[/name_u]” for instance - “rue’s” meaning is sorrow and regret, and it’s a poisonous herb that will abort a child. To me, I can’t get past that word’s meaning and function to bestow it upon a child. An association, though, is different (at least to me) because it has to do with experiences, and those are different for everyone.
I could not agree more!
Bonfire – We are on the same page. It’s not that she died, it’s that her whole character is rather tragic and depressing. I feel for her, I really do! And I’m sympathetic. But yeah…in the end the character doesn’t have traits that I find commendable.
Corylyn – Good point. [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] references are everywhere. Between that and Twilight… And I agree that there are many names with sad/tragic associations that are also quite popular.
Geek – I know there are A LOT of analysis on [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]. She is often sited as a tragic heroine, but in the end I just find her tragic. Actually, the only time [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] really shines for me is in [name_f]Queen[/name_f] [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]'s monologue announcing her death. BUT I love the name! GAH. Sometimes I hate associations.
Oiseau, Southern & [name_m]Lawson[/name_m] – I think you guys are probably right. Which is incredibly sad. [name_f]My[/name_f] grandmother was a literature professor and obsessed with [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] so there was no getting around it (thankfully!). She has passed, otherwise I’d ask her what she thought about it.
[name_u]Ash[/name_u] – [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] had such great potential to overcome! …and she didn’t. I love the way you described the name. That’s it, exactly. Why couldn’t [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] have given the name to a more appealing character!?
('cause that’s not realistic, I s’pose – only great/likable characters should be given beautiful names )
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]-- I think you make a good point that the connection to [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] is a positive one, even if the actual character is not. And that’s probably what a lot of people will zero in on.
Mega – it is so beautiful. I am beginning to think it is better in the middle spot.
tfzolghadr – I think it’s more relevant to say that not everyone embraces / references [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] as much as they did even though he is most definitely a household name. I know so many people who read very important and beautiful literature in high school and can’t remember much about it. I have a feeling many people my age would say “[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]…didn’t she drown?” but not remember much about her actual character. [name_f]My[/name_f] family is very [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] oriented so I think that is what would sway me rather than general population. But still, it’s an interesting conversation. Much like Sunbeam pointed out. [name_m]Reading[/name_m] is one thing, remembering is another. Strongly associated might even be another thing altogether.
Okay! That was a long response. Thanks for all the feedback!