How do YOU say Ottilie?

[OddshoesOddsocks]

Current topic of debate in our house as we are discussing potential names for DD3.

I’ve seen it on many lists on MN but never met one in person. The pronunciation clips on google offer several variations so I’ve come to MN for a conclusive answer!

I tend to read it as Ott-ILL-ee
But when I try to say it out loud it comes out more like O-TILL-ee

How would you say it?

Otterly.

I like it personally but DH doesn’t because of otters...

How would Yorkshire area say it.

Otterly probably, we don’t all use glottal stops you know.

Why would anyone pronounce I as er?

I don’t particularly like the name but it’s definitely Ott i lee not Ott er lee.

‘Otterly’ 😂

I know one and up North they do say Otter. Down south where she lives it is Otti. Do youbthink its having a come back? I do really like it.

There have been many posts on this thread about how to pronounce Irish and Scottish names, and the consensus usually is to follow the native-language pronunciation. Since Ottilie is a German name, that would be approx Ott-EEL-yuh.

Until recently, the more usual English form of the name (it's the feminine version of 'Otto') was Ottoline. The only people I've encountered with that name pronounced it Otto-leen, not Otto-lyne.

Otterlee with the emphasis on the first syllable.

I said it a couple of times out loud and it comes out the German way, ot-TILL-ie. But I'm not British, continental european.

That said, does it really matter ? Names are wont to be pronounced any number of ways depending on who says them and where you live. I've lived in many different places and my name (fairly short and classic) has been pronounced a million different ways. If you like the name, just pronounce it however is most natural to you - most people will do the same.

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.

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 .

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.

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 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.

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

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

All kinds of wrong

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 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.

Friend's daughter is AWE-tuh-lee.

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.

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?

@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?

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.

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

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

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