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?

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

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...

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

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

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?

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.

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

I have to say I prefer Odilia.

Odette or Odile are definitely French names I've heard before, though very old-fashioned - as most -ette names are these days. If I heard of an Odette I'd definitely expect her to be 50+ years old at least.

That said this may not be a problem in the UK. Names are definitely a regional thing.

Gotta say, though Ottilie doesn't sound particularly French to me, I like it much better than Odette/Odile !

Oh tuh lee

I know two! One 60s and one age 7

Like Italy

With an o.

Otterly

Ott ee li eh (4 syllables) with emphasis on the second syllable.

Thanks everyone, I wasn’t expecting such a good response!

With my Warwickshire accent it comes out more rhyming with how I’d say utterly. But in my head it flows beautifully in such a pretty, feminine way.... if only I were a little posher!

I’m wondering if theres too many vowels in it for dp’s strong north westerly accent. Him saying names out loud has inadvertently vetoed 90% of our name list as it ruins so many beautiful names 😂🙄

Both of those are incorrect pronunciations!

My friend has one who is Ott-illy. Gets Ottie for short. Love it!

Ot like OTTer
A
Lee

I say it ‘oh-tilly’. I know it’s not right but can’t help myself

Oh till ee

Otterlee

Ot tee lee eh

The emphasis is on the second syllable TEE.

I know two, one pronounces it otter-lee and the other pronounces it oh-tayl-yah. I know the latter a lot better (and much longer) so that would be my go to.

Ottilie was the name of the baby across the ward from me when I had my first baby. The parents were totally batshit e.g. mum insisting on keeping the curtains open and being stripped to the waist at all times (literally naked on top all the time, including when both sets of parents were visiting) as she was bfing. Both also very resistant to being discharged and eventually the nurses had to insist.
We were uncultured oiks and had never heard the name before and assumed it was something crazy they’d made up, so in our family lore that baby is called Otterly Botterly