How do YOU say Ottilie?

Hmm interesting. That site is right about Isolde/Iseult too imo.

I have to say I prefer Odilia.

Looking at that article @florascotia2 the name Odilia jumped out. Presumably to rhyme with Ophelia and closer to the German pronunciation of Ottilie. I think that’s a beautiful and underused name, personally.

Posted too soon. Sorry. Meant to say that what is perhaps more interesting - and I think /hope we agree about this- is why the name has suddenly become popular. Perhaps just part of general globalisation of communications?

I agree about Behind the Name, but British Baby Names is usually pretty good - reference above.

I don’t find Behindthename particularly accurate. It’s not right about Isolde either imo.

Several sites including wiki agree it’s a Frenchified version - Odile, Odette, Ottilie, Ottoline are different variants of the same name.

I was actually looking up something else, but have just come across this. It's strange how words jump out of the page at you.

Very, very comprehensive:
www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2016/10/ottilie.html

That's interesting, MrsS. Even though the stats show the name quickly rising in popularity, there were still only just over 300 babies called Ottilie in 2018. Until 2012, there were fewer than 50 babies a year with the name. The chances of meeting one of those must have been extremely rare...

Ottilia(h) is the correct pronunciation. No idea why it's become so popular in the UK and so badly mispronounced.

Mine is now 19, and we’ve never met another one, and only know of one who is a baby.

*unless you're American and say or-ange. In which case, short o as in 'operation'.

Sorry, tatiana cross-posted and asked the same question as you.

O- till- ee. Short o as in Orange.

It's an ok name, but when I mentioned it, my dad said, 'That's Ottilie ridiculous!'

Kinda put me off.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor are you sure you aren’t just pronouncing it wrong?

How would you pronounce the name Tilly? Turlly?

Do you say urdiot and urgloo for idiot and igloo?

I’m genuinely confused with how people are getting the er sound in there. It’s a short i sound.

What accent is it that does er for the i sound?

Wintersun The website 'Behind the Name' is not always accurate, but it would seem to agree with you. It says that Ottolie is German and gives the French versions of the name as Odette and Odile. www.behindthename.com/name/ottilie

Dark Greener website shows Ottilie rapidly increasing in popularity in England and Wales in recent years - it's now within the top 200. names.darkgreener.com/#ottilie I wonder why?

Where is the R thought?? Is this in accents where there is no hard R sound? So utterly is 'utt-e-lee' ? In my accent we say 'utt-err-lee' so otter is 'ott-err' but in your accent it would be 'ott-eh'???

Ottillie is 'ott-ilee' too frilly for my liking though.

Friend's daughter is AWE-tuh-lee.

I have an Ottilie . We love it. We live in the south east and her name has all the syllables pronounced equally - so very much like Otter-ly would sound ... but there is 'i' instead of 'er' so Ott -i- ly is the sound with equal weight given to all three parts. I don't personally like it when the 'ott' bears the emphasis, for me the name runs together lightly, but obviously some people say with a heavy Ott, or pronounce it 'ott-er' which again I don't like as it's the 'i' in the middle that keeps it light but is to be expected with an unusual name. Ottie or Tillie for short. It's been used in the English language since at least 18thC so not a new name by any means. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a poem 'To Ottilie' in 19thC if you're interested.

Maybe it is but I've never ever heard this name used in France

It’s never been used much in England either until recently - it’s a very odd fad. I don’t know why it’s suddenly popular here.

I just tried saying it and it comes out Ot tur lee.

All kinds of wrong

It would come out as Otterly if I said it. I think it's an awful name,sounds like utterly butterly.

It’s actually a French diminutive of a German name (Otto). So French and German pronunciations are equally valid.

Maybe it is but I've never ever heard this name used in France. Though it seems strangely popular on these boards.

No idea
Never heard it before
If it should be pronounced as per German then your DD will forever be correcting people. And it will get spelt wrong a lot of have thought.

Up to you though obv

It’s one of my (German) family names, which we used for DD2. But she gets the English pronunciation - Otti Lee, rather than Ottilia. I have a name that no-one can spell or pronounce and didn’t want it to be confusing for her.

I’m really confused about the err!

So some people pronounce Ottilie like Utterly except with O as in orange at the beginning?

Do they also say natterlie for Natalie?

Or the name Tilly become Terly to rhyme with early?

That sounds so awful to my ear. It’s put me right off the name .

Since Ottilie is a German name, that would be approx Ott-EEL-yuh.

It’s actually a French diminutive of a German name (Otto). So French and German pronunciations are equally valid.