I once knew a horse named Ophelia who had a bunch of warts on her nose. I still love this name, despite the weird image that forms in my mind everytime it's mentioned.
It's a pretty name in the vein of Phoebe and Daphne but I couldn't bear to give it to a kid with the impression it gives of mental illness and suicide. Darn you, Shakespeare!
I really just don't like this name, I do have to agree that some teasing could happen with this name. Actually I know of a very nice cat with this name.
― Anonymous User 12/3/2006
I agree, I would not give this name to a child because of the character in Shakespeare's play. It is still very nice, though, and pretty sounding.
I like this name and when hearing it no images of mental illness or breakdown come to my mind. Only those who are Shakespeare readers may tease over this name.
― Anonymous User 1/23/2007
The French version is Ophélie, pronounced o-fay-LEE.
― Anonymous User 1/29/2007
I like the name Ophelia, I first heard from my English teacher. She loves the name, but couldn't use it when she had a daughter. Her last name is Hamlet--no joke.
― Anonymous User 4/11/2007
Ophelia is a character from a book by Louise Lawrence called Children of the Dust.
― Anonymous User 4/29/2007
I think a character that goes loses her mind and kills herself is a wonderful name for a little girl. It's a beautiful name. Who cares if some people don't like the character from Hamlet?
I hate this name: it's so pretentiously theatrical, and who on earth would name a child after a character that went mad and killed herself?
― Anonymous User 10/22/2007
A character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin bears this name: Miss Ophelia St. Clair. She comes to take care of her cousin Augustine St. Clair's family.
Gorgeous name. Maybe a little too fancy to actually name someone. I have an obsession with Shakespeare's Ophelia, which is actually what would prevent me from using this name.
I have always pronunciated Ophelia as "o-FELL-lee-ya".
― Anonymous User 5/1/2008
It's quite a pretty name, but it will surely lead to ''oh feel ya'' jokes. Even if you pronounce it as ''o-FAY-lia'', it sounds too much like some people's pronunciation of ''oh failure'' or ''oh fail, ya''. This is why I'd rather name my daughter Ophelie, pronounced ''o-fu-LEE''.
My name is Ofelia. I've always hated being called Ofelia, so everyone calls me by my middle name, Mariela. I was teased in middle school by a kid. He would shout out to me "Ofelia Nuts!". Don't name your kids Ophelia or Ofelia. I guarantee they will get teased. It's been like a curse to me.
From names such as Hermia, Gertrude, and Romeo, this is the prettiest name Shakespeare has bestowed on a character. I don't immediately think of the Ophelia from Shakespeare, and even if I do, suicide and mental illnesses are quite common in tragedies. I think it makes it a stronger name, have history in literature, although I wouldn't use it on the basis of the Shakespeare character. I don't think I-feel-ya because I don't think that way.
Ophelia is really a lovely name, but it's a shame this site doesn't have the lighter, less Shakespeare-associated French version, Ophélie, pronounced oh-fay-LEE. [noted -ed]
I think that Ophelia is a very beautiful, graceful name. It has a tragic namesake, but that tragedy seems to add to the breathless romance of it. I like to pronounce it "oh-FEE-lee-ah."
I think this is a lovely name. If I named my child Ophelia, I'm sure she wouldn't be teased because nobody I know knows anything about Shakespeare, unfortunately.
A famous and historical artifact of this name is a painting by Sir John Everett Millais of Ophelia from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He was a member of the Pre-Raphaelites. Millais completed the painting in 1852, and it currently hangs in the Tate Britain art gallery in London. The painting features Ophelia singing while floating in a river just before she drowns, as described in Act IV, Scene VII of the play in a speech by Queen Gertrude. Although I personally would never have normally used the name, I now think of it differently because whenever I hear the name, it reminds me of that sad, but very beautiful painting. :)
Not only is it ugly, but it makes me think of necrophilia, and pedophilia. Or any other deranged fetish ending in -Ophelia. I'm sure lots of other people would too. Gross.
I named one of my kittens this because she's the strangest cat I've ever had. She likes water, which is rather worrying, considering the Shakespeare character. Personally, I'm a tad obsessed with the character, as well as her mad scene aria.
This is my cat's name and it suits her perfectly. She is prissy and regal and that is sort of how I view this name. I sometimes call her "Ophie" for short. I love the name for my pet, but I'm not sure how I feel about this name for a person. I've never met anyone with this name. It just doesn't seem right for a child--I see it more as an "old woman" name. But definitely a unique and wise older woman!
― Anonymous User 4/3/2010
This is also the name of a beautiful song and album by Natalie Merchant.
― Anonymous User 4/3/2010
I'm an avid Shakespeare fan, and I love this name. It has a nice ring to it and it's very romantic. And I believe other Shakespeare readers wouldn't necessarily associate it with insanity and suicide. I don't, at least.
I have always loved this name, it sounds beautiful for to me. However, I'd be careful to avoid the nickname "Ophy"- I think it sounds too much like "Oaf-y", not a nickname that I'd want for my daughter. "Lia" is a much prettier nickname, to me.
In Bob Dylan's Desolation Row, he mentions Ophelia.Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window For her I feel so afraid On her twenty-second birthday She already is an old maid To her, death is quite romantic She wears an iron vest Her profession's her religion Her sin is her lifelessness And though her eyes are fixed upon Noah's great rainbow She spends her time peeking Into Desolation Row.I've never read Hamlet, so I don't know if it's related or not.
Though I was pretty much indifferent to it before, I've recently come to really like this name. There's just something about it. I'd consider naming a child this.And about the Hamlet character, who cares? I'm not one of those people who hates something (this includes names) because of one unpleasant connection it has. I know this horrible woman named Victoria who causes misery in the lives of everyone she comes across, but that hasn't stopped me from liking the name Victoria. People need to learn to separate names from the characters/real people the name's connected to.
Gorgeous and unusual, though I would never use it. I also can't bring myself to pronounce it oh-feel-ya, no matter how hard I try. It always comes out as oh-feel-e-a.
Ophelia Devore (born 1922 in Edgefield, South Carolina) was an American fashion model. She is known for being the first mixed race model in the United States.
A colleauge named one of her daughters Carys Ophelia, but she goes by Ophelia or Ophie. It's pretty, feminine and reminds me of a fairy. It's also a great alternative to the popular Olivia - I doubt there'd be 3 Olivia's and 4 Ophelias in a class! Good nicknames would be Ophie, Ollie or even Phiephie/Fifi! It's definitely on the list for child number 3!
I love this name, but I'm afraid to use it now that my mother pointed out that it sounds like pedophilia and necrophilia. :( Nonetheless, it's my cat's name, but I call her Ophie.
Whenever I hear this name I think of the song by "The Band." I'm a fan. Not my number one choice, but it's unique and pretty. I think you'd have to be a pretty cool person to pull it off.
My name is Ophelia and yes, it's a very unique name. What I didn't get is how you people criticize the name for how it sounds and where it derived from. 1-I am in High School and I don't get picked on about my name at all 2-Only my closest friends actually are allowed to make fun of my names such as oh feel ya and pedophilia and just the name in general but I don't get butthurt or anything. 3-When people really meet someone named Ophelia, they tend to just compliment us on how unique and beautiful our name is in general-NO ONE makes fun of the name-it's too beautiful to be made fun of if you don't know them personally.
My name is Ophelia. I have never ever been teased and I'm still in school. I have no problem with my name and I don't think I ever will have.
― Anonymous User 2/10/2015
This name is so beautiful I cannot express how much. If I ever met someone named this I would totally gush about how much I love their name. I think it is good any pronunciation. The teasing aspect is childish and contrived, and any person bearing this lovely name would probably laugh in the face of anyone who tried to tease them. The somber meaning and origin is also beautiful. There is nothing wrong with sharing a name with a tragic character, it is, once again, beautiful! Ophelia's everywhere should be very proud!
I love my name! I was born in 1961. Ofelia is my given name. I'm Hispanic so my mom spelled it with an "f". My friends and family call me Ofee;) I wasn't ridiculed because of my beautiful name. I've always been complimented on it. Because we are Hispanic from that generation, we did not get middle names but then again mom had 12 of us;)
Personally, I love this name. It's quite versatile. I've used it twice so far, and I'll definitely use it again.The first time I used it was to name a chicken. She was quirky and energetic, very curious and always exploring. The name suited her well.The second time I used it was for a character. I won't go into details, but she does share some "unique traits" with Shakespeare's Ophelia. Again, it suits her well.
My name is Ophelia. People really adore my name. Whenever I tell people my name they just say that's an awesome and beautiful name. I really like my name. Nobody has ever teased me about it and no one can say it has bad connections. People called Ophelia actually accomplish much. I will definitely name my daughter Ophelia Junior.
― Anonymous User 1/15/2016
My name is Ophelia and I used to hate it when I was a kid, but now I'm 17 and I quite love it. I'm Australian and honestly don't know anyone with my name so I adore how unique it is. Are there jokes? Yes, endless pedophilia/necrophilia/I-feel-ya, but it doesn't last forever, especially if you show that you don't care about it. Most of my friends/family call me Lia, O or Ophe, which I love! I would never change my name.
I am named Ophelia (the one pronounced oh-feel-ee-a) and I hecking LOVE it! My biggest dream is to find someone else named Ophelia and be like "Woah, how did this happen" and THEY'D UNDERSTAND and that'd be really cool but they'll probably be a way different age than me (there weren't even ratings for people named Ophelia in my year!). I saw someone comparing it to the name Olivia and my sister is named Olivia so that made me happy haha. I go by the nicknames Ophie, Ophi, and Eli. Most people call me Ophie, but it makes me feel kind of childish. Only one person has used the "heh Ophelia, I feel ya ;)" once and I was never made fun of because of it. It's a pretty cool name! Ignore the fact it means help, the name is hecking good. The only complaint I have is that whenever the song Ophelia by The Lumineers comes on I get so embarrassed, but it's great in any other context.
My daughter's name is Ophelia. She is 5 so she is a little young for the I feel ya jokes. I think it is beautiful! I am a Shakespeare fan but I think it is silly to only see that character when thinking of a name. Obviously, there are many other names who have been betrayed negatively in movies, books or biblical stories. Maybe people get so hung up on it because the name is rarely used? Anyway her nickname is Phia (pronounced like Sophia without the So) or Phi (fee). My nephew is just a year older than her and he called her Phia because he couldn't pronounce Ophelia.
I love this name and want to use it for my daughter, due to arrive in May. I don't get how people would avoid a name based on possible teasing. Are you going to let your every decision be based on what mean or stupid people might do? Those of you Ophelias who love your name, thank you for your comments. Very encouraging :)
― Anonymous User 12/18/2016
I hope to name my daughter Ophelia. It just sounds so pretty. Like an ancient beauty or something. The "O" makes it very unique while the "Elia" makes it feminine.
I love the name Ophelia, it is very classy and a respectable name. Logically speaking any name has an insult ready for all the kids at school to point out. I honestly didn't think of 'oh feel ya' till I came on to this website. It's a more subtle version if you're a fan of names like Sophia and Cecilia. Nothing wrong with these names, but some people like me enjoy it but want something that has a different feel. I also don't mind the Shakespeare connection. It's like saying you wouldn't name your daughter Megan, because of Megan's law. Any name can have a negative association, it's hard to avoid.
Ophelia... I pronounce it O feel ya... is a unique, yet beautiful name that one must grow in to. However, I don't believe many people think of Hamlet when this name is heard, or suicide, or madness, and definitely not I feel ya... at least I never had that problem, and I'm 32 years old.
I love this name, my first child I named Everly OpheliaI live in a country that English is not the first language, so my daughter won't have Oh feel you jokes. I knew that Ophelia in Shakespeare's was a tragic character, but it's just like some parents who pick a random name from bible and gave the name to a newborn baby. Ophelia origin word is Ophelos. Ophelos: advantage, help Original Word: ὄφελος, ους, τό Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: ophelos Phonetic Spelling: (of'-el-os) Short Definition: advantage, gain, profit Definition: advantage, gain, profit, help.
― Anonymous User 4/30/2017
Ophelia James is the beautiful and daring female lead in 'Thirteen Days to Midnight' by Patrick Carman.
I love this name, it gives off the impression of high status, importance, and fancy, yet at the same time, it gives off the "don't mess with me" vibe. It's classy and badass.
― Anonymous User 1/23/2018
In Romance languages, the second syllable "phel" is pronounced "fell," not "feel."