Ophelia

[sarlavee]

Is Ophelia set to be the name of the year? After the hugely popular and very catchy TS song!!

Sure if you want your hubby murdered by her insane boyfriend before she drowns herself in a river.

Very cute name for a baby and elegant for an adult too

love Ophelia 🥰

Dad not husband!

Husband. Polonius was O's dad and thus would be Ophelia's mum's ie the dope giving her that awful name's hubby.

The name itself is pretty, but Ophelia died by her own hand (a drowning). I'm not sure I'd want that connection for my child.

I'd say the opposite. The song is actually teaching people about the tragic association with the name (I can't believe how many people use it these days seemingly with no idea, jumping onto the trend).

Maybe people will finally stop using it now, after it's explosion in popularity in recent years? Or at least think twice?

I know quite a few already.
Most pronounce it with a short "O" (as at the start of orange) which I really like.
I'm not so keen on the big emphasis on the "O" before the "phelia".

I like it as a name, but the associations are such that I wouldn't use it. Same with things like Andromache. Even the Taylor Swift song is basically saying "thank God I'm not going to end up like Ophelia". Just no.

It’s a lovely name. But might well be the Michelle of our days.
Similar vibe: (helped by AI when I checked the spelling of Ottilie)
Matilda, Ophelia, Eleanor, Eloise, and Violet. Evangeline

Yes I know Polonius was Ophelia's dad... you posted 'if you want your hubby...' she didn't have a husband, it was her dad that was murdered. We don't know who Ophelia's mum was. We're probably talking at cross purposes here.

So. I wouldn't name my son Oedipus in case he killed my hubby. I wouldn't name my daughter Ophelia in case her insane boyfriend killed my hubby. I wouldn't name my daughter Elektra in case she offed me. Is that clearer?

Oddly enough I had a great-grandmother named Orpheus which was a totally wrong name for many reasons.

Oddly enough I had a great-grandmother named Orpheus which was a totally wrong name for many reasons.

These are the sorts of comments that make me bother with MN!

Ophelia is a pretty name.

There is also the Ophelia song by the Lumineers.

It was on my list when pregnant (more than once from memory) but I just couldn't have gone with it. It's the madness and suicide in Shakespeare then the "I feel ya" association that is just not great for a girl - especially if the surname is something like Tittsup.

It's already in use. There were two of DS's reception class ten years ago. I bet neither set of parents expected to find another in the same small school, let alone same class.

Lovely name, but invariably pronounced "A feel ya".

I would’ve quite liked it, but we lived in Stratford upon Avon when my daughters were born
I couldn’t do it. It crossed it off the list along with William and Juliet.

So many names associated with tragic literary characters. I think it’s good to use them to move away from the tragedy side of things.

Im not keen ,I don't like frilly names

Not using Ophelia and perhaps even Juliet I could understand if you don’t want the Shakespeare link… but William? Even in Stratford these days there must be hundreds and hundreds of them - William has been in the Top 50 since records began, so I don’t think most people would automatically think you named a DS after Shakespeare (even in his birthplace).

OP, I don’t think Swift’s song will make a huge difference in the use of Ophelia. It became popular in the first place because people were looking for something “different” but that had strong similarities to the two most popular girls names - Olivia and Amelia. So they happened upon Ophelia, a soundalike mix of the two but without the extreme popularity. Shakespearean associations didn’t play into it then, and imo neither will Swifts use now. I think it will continue to rise as more people hear it on girls in RL and think “that’s pretty” (just as they did Olivia and Amelia) but I don’t think it will ever be quite as popular as those two.

Personally I think Ophelia is beautiful and would happily use it (but then the Shakespearean use doesn’t put me off either - I’ve seen a couple of feminist productions of Hamlet done from Ophelia’s point of view which has changed my perspective on the “tragic” association of the name).

This. ^ The name is OK, but has negative connotations.

It does seem to be getting v popular

Which I do find a bit weird, given the character

When I was growing up there must have been some kind of innuendo joke about the name and whenever I hear it now I can’t help thinking “Ophelia Balls”.

No.

I love the way this has been posted in a tone of baffled innocence: "some kind of innuendo. Ophelia balls ... hmm... I wonder..."

I have one. She's nearly three and she's awesome. I get lots of compliments on her name.

It’s already popular