Hello Berries. Recently, I’ve really loved the name [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], nn [name_f]Lily[/name_f]/[name_f]Lillie[/name_f], (I don’t like [name_f]Tilly[/name_f]/[name_f]Tillie[/name_f] I’m afraid). Is it usable for a girl? Does it carry into adulthood well? When you hear it what do you think of it as well… do you think it’s pretentious? Also is it pretty or a bit heavy? Also, any thoughts on middle names that go with [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]?
I like [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], it’s rather sweet, and I love the vintage feel it has. I’d put it with names like [name_f]Millie[/name_f], [name_f]Lottie[/name_f], [name_f]Libby[/name_f], [name_f]Betsy[/name_f], etc. - vintage nicknames. I think it could carry into adulthood well, and I don’t think it’s pretentious, so to speak. It does feel a bit upper-crusty though - like a posh, private boarding school type of name, not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just the imagery I get.
I like [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] nn [name_f]Lily[/name_f], but I prefer the [name_f]Lillie[/name_f] spelling here.
I really like [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], more so in [name_m]German[/name_m] but it’s nice enough in English as well.
It’s absolutely usable, and ages wonderfully, I think.
Personally, it makes me think of a little British girl with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5, she’s a very well-mannered child, loves classical music and ballet but at the same time she’s quite the stubborn person with a mind of her own; very strong willed and sometimes tantrum-throwing (not because she’s a brat but because she’s a child) when things don’t go her way. Usually, however, she cools down very quickly and then goes on enjoying her day in the garden or park with her dog.
I wouldn’t say it’s pretentious, though it can sound a bit posh in an English accent that properly pronounces the Ts (though most names sound posher that way, it’s not a negative thing).
I wouldn’t say it’s heavy at all, just strong.
As for middle names, I really like two syllable middles ending in -a with [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], so here are some ideas:
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Blythe[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Nora[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] is beautiful and definitely can stand on it’s own. It’s like [name_u]Ainsley[/name_u], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Melanie[/name_f]… It’s just less popular.
I really like [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] when it’s pronounced Oh-till-ee, but I’m not sure how I feel about the [name_m]Ott[/name_m]-ill-ee pronunciation (even though I’m pretty sure that’s the correct way to say it!). [name_m]How[/name_m] do you pronounce it?
@lawsonhaley I agree about [name_f]Lillie[/name_f] actually, I think it works better than [name_f]Lily[/name_f] with the spelling of [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]
@opheliaflora what a beautiful image of a little girl, that is so sweet! I really like [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] as middle names too, so thank you
@brose I prononce it [name_m]Ott[/name_m]-il-ee… I hadn’t considered there would be any other way to say it actually!
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] is a beautiful name, and one I see rarely enough even on Nameberry that it’s exciting to come across it. (If you know what I mean- a lot of names are beautiful, many of my favourites are quite popular, but there’s something particularly exciting about a name that’s rare.) It is a bit weighty, but that adds a certain strength to it for me, a different kind of beauty than something floaty and light like [name_f]Isla[/name_f] or [name_f]Flora[/name_f] for example.
It does have a certain upper class British feel about it, but to me that’s not a bad thing. I liked something said about this on Nameberry so much once that I wrote it down: a name can’t be inherently pretentious – only your motive for using it can. When people purposely use this kind of name to sound smarter or better than others, it is pretentious, but if you just happen to love a name with that feel, it’s not.
I like [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] nn [name_f]Lily[/name_f], but a lot of people would think [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is her full name or short for [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] or [name_f]Liliana[/name_f], if that’s a problem for you. [name_f]Lillie[/name_f] is more intuitive with [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] but I personally tend to like -y endings over -ie ones.
I would go with something classic and perhaps a bit vintage for a middle. What about:
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Cara[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Diana[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Margot[/name_f]
I love [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]! It is both adorable and elegant. [name_f]Lily[/name_f]/[name_f]Lillie[/name_f] is a sweet nickname, I prefer it to [name_f]Tillie[/name_f] also. My favourite nickname for [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] is Otter, tho I can see that not being many people’s style…
I do find it quite usable, although I have never met anyone by the name [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f].
To me it’s a watery name. I think of forests and streams and rivers and otters of course :). Very lovely name.
Edit to add: I forgot about middle names! I had Ottilie River on my list a while ago, now looking at the imagery I have for Ottilie it’s no wonder why that seemed to suit for me! I like the idea of a nature name or unisex name or something more contemporary paired with Ottilie. It feels unexpected and happy.
Ottilie Emerson
Ottilie Raven
Ottilie Jade
Ottilie Aurora
Ottilie Zora
Ottilie Cecile
Ottilie Rowan
Ottilie Saffron
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] is stunning.
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] is nice. It doesn’t strike me as especially unusual, but then I’m in the UK and come across little Ottilies at baby groups from time to time. I like the “[name_m]OTT[/name_m]-ill-ee” pronunciation best, but you can pronounce it like “oh-[name_m]TEEL[/name_m]-yeh” instead, which sounds a bit less sweet and more strong.
I don’t love the name, but I don’t think it’s “pretentious” (well, no more so than [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Amelie[/name_f], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], etc. - other soft, ladylike, slightly international-sounding names popular with middle-class parents). I think [name_f]Lillie[/name_f] works as a nickname, but I’m not really keen on it. I don’t know what I’d nickname an [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]… [name_m]Otto[/name_m] or Otter probably!
I like it, but only pronounced like aht-uh-lee.
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] has really grown on me I love it!
I have the same sort of problem! [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] has been my no1 name for years now but the only thing that’s stopping me is the nickname [name_f]Tillie[/name_f] its just a completely different name and honestly not my favourite, but I LOVE the nickname ottie