Baby girl name opinions please :)

[Littlemum2be86]

We’ve recently found out we’re having a girl and have really struggled to agree on any girls names. We want something pretty, not too common but also not weird. We’ve come across the name Ottilie and love it. Just wondered what people think of it? And if anyone knows any Ottilies?

Trying to think now. There is nothing I like as much as Ottilie (no insult mean to my gorgeous DD). Wilhelmina, Gertrude, Hortensia, Valentina, Portia, Hephzibah? (Disclaimer: my DD is one of these, but I still secretly wish she'd been Ottilie, as Die Wahlverwandschaften is one of my favourite novels of all time, ever...)

How about Elodie if you want something in a similar vein?

Until I found this board I had never heard of Ottilie, and still don't know anyone with the name in real life. It's amazing that so many people here know multiple Ottilies, to the extent that it's too popular for them to use it for their own DDs! Maybe it's regional differences at play.

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan as it makes me think of otters (sorry).

Black try to guess your DD’s name now, really hoping it’s Hephzibah!

Also a bit worried about the PPs whose Ex’s vetoed Ottilie... my DH also did the same although I did persuade him well enough that it’s DDs middle name. All is well at home but I’m worried we’re now headed for divorce as it seems like a disagreement over Ottilie spells doom!

Absolutely lovely name. There's enough Olivias out there

I don’t hate it (I think I would like it more when I met one) but I do think of otters.

Other names not too popular:
Freya
Daphne
Claudia
Iris
Celeste
Allegra
Aster
Audrey
Cordelia
Fleur
Stella
Ivy
Pearl
Saskia
Leonora

IVflytrap, I suspect massive regional differences with a name like Ottilie. Despite being a very usual name (100 per year in the UK), from what I can see half of them seem to live in London and have their names announced in the Telegraph.
I'd love to know where the school is with 3 Ottilies. I recently met someone with a teenage Ottilie and she had never met another one in her life.

*unusual!

Ottilie is a really nice name. I like that it is pretty but not too cutesy, and you can get Tilly as a nickname too. Only thing that puts me off it the 'otter' sound.

I knew it wouldn’t be loved by everyone but seems to be more likes than dislikes which is a positive! I like some of the other name suggestions too....I really love Iris but DH isn’t a fan and thinks it sounds cold. 🙄 Struggling with middle name ideas too...Ottilie Rose or Ottilie May?

Rose and May are pretty generic middle names now. It does need something short, though, particularly if you are pronouncing it the German way (4 syllables). Mary? Rowan? Zoe? Claire (going retro, I know, but it's a fab name)? Lucy?

(Oh, and I don't dislike Ottilie (and I also have strong Goethe associations, but tbh I found them all a bunch of drips in that novel ). I'm just rather mystified at how it's managed to become popular in the UK. A German you suggested it to would probably say 'say what?!', although there's a proliferation of little Claras and Friedas and Gretas and Lottas here, which you might argue are similar names. Then in English there's the added pronunciation thing)

Ottilie Iris sounds pretty good... could you not persuade DH?!
Otherwise Ottilie Rose is lovely. Different strokes for different folks but I wouldn’t use May.

TroubledLichen Ottilie Iris is lovely! Great idea. I’ll get working on the husband :)

I really love it.
I've been doing my family tree and came across an 'Ottilina'. The n gives it just that lovely bit of 'difference'.

Elodie is lovely. I haven’t really heard it before but I like it a lot. Definitely one to consider! I’m also surprised at people saying that Ottilie is common in places. But at least makes it seem less ‘out there’. Thanks everyone for their opinions :) Very helpful x

I love the name but you definitely have to consider accents where Ts might be dropped. For this reason I could never have used it!

I know of three Elodies in the past year so took it off our list as think it’s the new Isla

That is a really lovely name!!

How about Etholle (et-olly) its French again but I think it looks prettier written down than Ottilie does.

I really like Etholle MrsXx4 but I think because of the spelling they’d spend their whole life correcting people on how to pronounce it. I love how it sounds though!

What's the standard UK pronunciation of Ottilie? I don't know any, and assumed it was French and had three syllables. But if the German pronunciation is more usual, then it has four and sounds quite different.

I know two Ottolies, (both 3yo). I like it.

I know one adult ottilie (31) who is insanely posh and meeting her was the first time id ever heard of the name. Since having kids I now know two under two, one of whom goes by Ollie.

A popular insta mum (mother of daughters) has 2 year old twins - one of which is called Ottilie, which I think had something to do with its increasing popularity. The other two is called Delilah.
How about Heidi or Ivy?