Comments (Meaning / History Only)

I wonder if simply saying Odalis and Odalys are Spanish forms of Odilia is a complete explanation of their etymology. These don't seem to be traditional Spanish forms but rather modern inventions, with a good chance they are originally Latin American rather than created in Spain itself. [noted -ed]I think it might be better to think of Odalis as a blend of Odilia with the modern suffix -is or -ys which has been so productive in terms of newly created names in Latin America during the last 50 years or so. It is even possible that whoever created this name was influenced by the word "odalisque". The Spanish form of odalisque is "odalisca", and from discussions in Spanish I have found it seems that "odalisca" is often used in modern Spanish to mean "belly dancer", without necessarily implying "concubine" or "mistress" as it often does in English. Because of the way "odalisques" have been presented in European art, that word also has a lot of connotations of "beauty" which might have influenced the creation of Odalis as a given name.

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