Ursula

Quite the opposite of scary and ugly -- rather, I pity the fact it has not yet been embraced. Like a fanciful fairy-tale protagonist, Ursula dances merrily through meadows and valleys, always coming home with a new story to share. She has many friends, whether they are human or animal or completely imaginary. Painted with mauve undertones, and tasting unmistakably like blackberries, Ursula is a name that greatly inspires me to create *something,* whether it is self-indulgent or something I want to share with anyone who cares to listen... and my passion for names such as this is just that. It breaks my heart that this beautiful name is scorned and dismissed as the name of an evil cartoon villain. It would be nice to sit next to an Ursula for a change.

I think this is a lovely name for any woman to have. It's very classy and pretty to me.

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I hate it's viewed negatively because it's associated with a cartoon villain.

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It's still a good name to have.

Hate me all you want but I actually really like this name. It's like a guilty pleasure to me. I just think it sounds nice. But that damn sea witch from Little Mermaid ruined it and made it unusable. I definitely wouldn't use it for a child but if I could I would maybe use it for myself, as a middle name.

I love this name! The meaning is beautiful. I don't know why this name gets so much hate, I hope the name becomes popular someday.

I've changed my mind. I don't care if this name is ugly and associated with sea witch perhaps. This name and meaning is so gorgeous and very lovely in my opinion.

Ursula is literally the worst name ever. I hate it so much it sounds so bad and reminds me of that huge sea witch.

The poor unfortunate souls that have to bear this name.

Cute meaning.

I love the name Ursula because it's so gorgeous and unique. I like both the Saint's name and sea witch. ❤❤.

This name is honestly just really ugly, and it reminds me of the evil sea witch in The Little Mermaid.

Elegant and rare.

Very ugly.

Ursula is stunning! Elegant and edgy at the same time. People should grow up and realize that names like this have existed for hundreds of years before the Disney movie. We can't put beautiful names in the no-go zone just because someone decided to give them to a fictional villain.

It sounds cool, but I feel like most people would associate it with Ursula the sea witch from The Little Mermaid.

Sounds very unpleasant.

Scary name! MEANS SEA WITCH! This name will give anybody nightmares from the movie.

Homely and ugly name.

Wonderful name, Ursula! Mature, strong, intelligent, just beautiful! Not many names starting with U, but Ursula for sure stands out comparing with many other names. I like it a lot!

What a gorgeous, sensuous, powerful woman's name. I especially like the Spanish pronunciation Oor-soo-lah. This has been my favorite girls' name since childhood. If you are thinking of using it, you will have to accept that people whose primary association with an ancient Latinate name is a Disney movie may not like it. However, WalMart shoppers shouldn't be naming your child. It is a beautiful, rare choice that will never hold a girl back personally or professionally. I also like the Ursula Andress association. :)

I was just about to rant on about how much I hate this name, but now looking at the meaning I just can’t! ‘little bear’— so cute! I mean I’m still not a huge fan of the name, but with the meaning I feel bad for wanting to trash talk about it! :(

Ursula is rare, but still used in Italy. We pronounce it OOR-soo-la(h).

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I think that it is an elegant name, an aristocratic one. The meaning is nature-themed and in my mind this name is midnight-blue.

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The problem is the sound. Too harsh and sharp. Infact in Italy the variant Orsola is more used.

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I like both. They have the same vibe but Orsola has a gentle sound while Ursula is wild and strong. Both positive things.

The sweetest meaning.

Ugly. Just ugly.

Cool name yet classy at the same time. Take for eg.

If you are a fan of Netflix' Money Heist... Ursula Corbero- now she is gorgeous and a sexy lady. So she comes to my mind instead, NOT the Little Mermaid!

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I think the name Ursula is definitely due a come back and it will be on trend.

We named our daughter Ursula (Millie) middle name last year. She has a cute nickname of Uschi we decided on this name for the following

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1. Unique strong and Edgy
2. Means little she bear (and she is our cub after all)
3. Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the Northern Sky.
4. Cool nicknames Uschi, Ursy, Oosh.
5. Myself and hubby love Scandi inspired everything and this name really has it!

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So for all the haters of the name whether it be the sound of it blah blah blah or the fact that people can't see past the Disney association I would say live in the real world not a Disney fairy tale story and I'm saying that having been bought up watching Disney and Little Mermaid was my fav and to be fair she is one of the best bad ass baddies that Disney made! So I ain't phased by it one bit I secretly like it.

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If you want some associations other than a made up story...try Ursula Andress or Ursula Le Guin both amazing women for different reasons.

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I would like to add too that my daughter isn't purple and does not look like an octopus she has mousey coloured curly hair with lovely hazel eyes and a cute button nose. Plus her two year old cousin calls her Uschi and is so adorable when she says it. Melts your heart.

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That aside I like the idea that there are not many girls with that name so she will stand out and be confident instead of being called a bog standard girly girly name amongst many of her age group.

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So if you are thinking of calling your girl Ursula...GO FOR IT! Forget Disney from years gone by and live outside the box...

I knew an Ursula, she was my neighbor, she was one of if not the nicest person I knew. My good friend Gertrude's middle name is Ursula. I associate the name Ursula with a very nice individual, not Ursula from The Little Mermaid because that movie came out when I was 77. Finding someone with a name that starts with U is very rare, I think it's much better to be named something that starts with U than a much more common name, like mine at the time of my birth. I think Ursula is a good name, but little Ursula will probably be associated with Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Thanks for reading :)

Kind of ugly and it reminds me of the character from The Little Mermaid.

Really ugly.

I don’t really like the sound or look of it, but I love the meaning “little bear”.

Separate Ursula from Disney. I don't understand hating this name because of a villain from a thirty year old children's movie. That seems silly to me. It's not even like the Little Mermaid has a great message in the first place... Sure teenager, abandon your family for a dude you met once and literally give up your voice for him. And Ursula was the bad guy? Ariel had her own problems.

This is my name! I like it but I hate it when people call me Ursy. Also, I have a lisp so when someone asks for my name they think I'm saying Urthula and I get embarrassed. I don't like it when people are mean though.

It might not sound so nice to English speaking people, but once you realize it means "little she-bear" it kind of conquers your heart.

The meaning of this name sounds cool, can’t say that for the name itself. The Little Mermaid didn’t ruin it, it just sounds odd. Most “U” names are exotic. Don’t hate it, don’t like it.

I looooove the German pronunciation of this name.

I think Ursula is a really beautiful name! I love astronomy related names and I am more apt to relate it to Ursa Major and Ursa Minor than to the Little Mermaid.

I disagree with most people here. Ursula is a really pretty name with a lovely meaning. It is a shame that the Disney character killed the name, but it is just a character.

An ugly name indeed.

Personally, I find the fact that Ursula is the name of the Sea Witch is an argument for it. She's one of my favorite villains for the same reason Percy Jackson is one of my favorite heroes: partly due to their connection to the sea. Also, I adore the one portrayed by Merrin Dungey on Once Upon a Time.

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The character that I think gives this name a bad name is Ursula Buffay, a character from Mad About You and Friends.

I'm honestly surprised to know the meaning of the name is 'little bear' after The Little Mermaid. Personally, forgetting about that, I think it's very sophisticated.

Ursula is one of the worst names ever! It reminds me of that obese, ugly sea witch in Little Mermaid (and the ugly name Ursula really fits her)!

Ursula is a wonderful name. People have an unfounded prejudice with that name just because of an animated movie 30 years ago. But what people do not understand is that they just imagine a bad and ugly witch why they never met a lovely and sweet child by that name. If they knew, I'm sure they would change their mind about the name Ursula. There is an exotic beauty behind Ursula. It is a unique female name, with initial U (the rarest of all), with a beautiful meaning. It is the name of an actress and also of a saint. The girl with the name Ursula will never find anyone else with her name. Ursula is a unique and special name for a unique and special girl. There are thousands of Annas, Sarahs, Sophias and Olivias, but Ursula is for a few and whoever has that name will surely be proud. I also love the variation Ursulina, which is a bit sweeter.

I am an Ursula. I never really got my name when I was young, I think I had to grow into it. Now as an adult I love my name. I like being different and people still comment on it. I get called Urs, Ursie, Ursula, but when I was at school, young ones couldn't pronounce my name, so I was Ushala...A. LOT. I am Scottish, and like it with my accent, it has a lilt to it, making it softer, but when speaking to someone from England on the phone for example and they ask your name, I usually have to pronounce it differently for them to get it.

My name is Ursula. Often people hear my name and think of the Little Mermaid. This is very funny to me but at the same time I wish some people would open up to the many other people named Ursula out there in the world. I've always loved my name because I was always the only one. I never had to put my last initial at the end of my name to identify myself. One other thing I love about my name, I'm generally hard to forget! I'm the only Ursula in a lot of people's lives. How awesome is that? Think about how many Michaels you know, lol.

I really like this name. I think it's very sweet. I don't think it is that unusual, as I know two Ursula's. One is spelt Urszula though. The one whose name is spelt the regular way is a very unattractive woman, but I think her name is pretty.
I think it might be a character name in Kindergarten Cop?

I like this name, and I think that the meaning is adorable! People called Ursula might get teased because of TLM, though. I would have called my child Ursula. My teacher called her daughter that!

My name is Ursula, it's a family name after my Grossmutti though I've grown up in Michigan, USA. I was born in '94 right around the time the Little Mermaid came out (1989) so I've been asked if I was named after the sea witch. The worst comment I got was someone telling me in a surprised voice that I'm not ugly like the sea witch... In response to people likening my name to that movie, I would tell them, "no, like the Bond girl". I've been doing this since I was four or five when my dad showed me Dr. No to prove one of the most beautiful women shared my name.

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I've never been teased for my name and I've never felt that in particular separates me from a crowd, rather I blame that on my height (6'0) and very German appearance. I've only ever gotten compliments about it and no one has had to ask me twice for my name. I love it, I've always loved it. I think it's a beautiful name. If you're looking to name your kid Ursula, I'd definitely go for it. We make strong, intelligent, beautiful women.

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I only get annoyed when people I know spell my name wrong, like my boyfriend spelled it "Ursala" the first month we dated and I only found out when I saw my contact in his phone. And when other people try to come up with their own 'unique' nicknames for me. My family calls me Uschi, my brother calls me Ursi, my oldest friends call me Urs, and almost everyone else just uses Ursula. But every now and again, someone always comes up with something horrible like 'Slaw' or 'Urshi'... but that's about it.

The meaning of the name- little bear- is so cute! But I can't hear the name with out thinking of The Little Mermaid's antagonist, Ursula.

Good to see some Ursula's on here. I too have the name Ursula and my father loved Ursula Andress. To me, I don't think it's kosher to name your kid after a woman you think is hot but anyways... I am okay with my name but I could have thought of others that are just as unique and pretty. Disney did damage the name. I was very disappointed when I learned about the Sea Witch. I knew my name would never be the same. You would think that Disney would have really creative people who could come up with new names for their villains instead of stigmatizing existing names. Shame on them. I would like everyone who thinks of the Sea Witch to remember that there are a lot of common names that are used for villains as well. The only difference is that my name is unique and with that being said the person behind the name is too so try not to put us in that corner because it can be done to anyone. We are not all villains and we are all not saints like a Saint Ursula.

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Signed, Ursula (With two '"U"s because we are doubly Unique!) Thank U.

I used to hate this name. All I could think of was the fat octopus lady from "The Little Mermaid." Now I love it!

I've never been a big fan of this name. I don't find it rolls off the tongue that well and I associate it with bad people. I first heard it when I started watching "One Life to Live" when I was little. A crazy character named Ursula tried to ruin Tina and Cord's wedding by planting a bomb in their wedding cake. That and the sea witch from "The Little Mermaid" have just painted a bad picture with this name.

My name is Ursula and honestly I hated my name as a kid. Not that anyone ever made fun of it (although I have met people that can't seem to be able to pronounce it) but because it was so unique I felt like I stood out in the crowd which I didn't like. As I got older I learned my name is as unique as I am and I love it. I am Russian, I am blonde, I have 2 cats but I only weigh 130 lbs, sorry! As far as the Little Mermaid movie goes, my nickname has been the sea witch since it came out and I think it's hilarious! The only negative reactions I've ever had to my name were from my daughter's friends when they first learned my name as small children... They were afraid and wide eyed which I also found pretty funny! My parents had 4 children, my mom named 3, Victoria (Vikki), Richard (Richie), Micheal (Mikey) and my dad named me Ursula (Ursie or my friends call me Urs), he chose my name because he thought Ursula Andress was beautiful. I don't mind being the oddball name anymore- I embrace it and wouldn't change it for the world!

What a cute name! The meaning is adorbs! (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ.

Imagine the bullying your child would get from having this name. I'm sorry, but even if you think it's a beautiful name it's still the name of a horrible (ugly) Disney villain, which every child would know about. It would be very selfish to name a child this name purely because you think it's beautiful, knowing they'll be bullied.

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Personally, I find it very Russian. I hear it a expect to see some russian spy with a cat and blonde hair.

Once my friends and I were making a video and I asked my one friend what she wanted her character's name to be. Her answer was, "It doesn't matter, as long as it isn't Ursula or something."

Ursula is a very nice name in itself, but I cant help but find it really ugly, most likely due to the sea witch Ursula in the little mermaid, which is where I first heard it.

Ursula is a really regal and classy name. Also, I love the history and really do plan on naming my daughter this, but don't think people are going to forget the Little Mermaid. First off, Disney movies live forever. For example, Sleeping Beauty was made in the 1950's and people still watch it. So yeah, there always going to be this childhood stigma to it, but what name doesn't? But it has this cool, elegant, witchy feel to it that makes it worth while and it's less likely that this name is going to be popular. If you do have a daughter with this name then read the original version of the story before showing the movie so she can understand.

Ethereal and elegant name - with a lot of history. Better than Mackenzie and Madison any day!

I used to think this name was really really ugly. Now I realize that's probably because of The Little Mermaid. I don't know if I would like it or not if The Littler Mermaid association wasn't there. I guess the sound is kind of nice, but I just can get the evil octopus picture out of my head...

I always thought the name Ursula was a little hard done by, I don't mind it at all.

I'm sorry but this has got to be the worst name ever! I think it is the ugliest girls name and please do not torture your child calling them this disgustingness!

This name is not particularly nice sounding for me, mainly because of the harsh 'urs' sound in the beginning. Love the meaning though, 'little bear'.

Weird and ugly. Put this name at the bottom of the list of names in the world.

I think this name sounds very exotic and rather kinky.

Even with "The Little Mermaid" as one of my favorite Disney Movies growing up, I still loved the sound of the sea witch's name, Ursula. In fact, I remember thinking as a child, "Why does the sea witch have a prettier name than the mermaid?" (Not to say that I don't like Ariel--it's a very nice name! But I actually prefer Ariella.) Then again, I was a weird child, and for some reason I liked the Disney villains' names: Ursula; and from Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty," I briefly had a fascination with the name Millicent; and in Cinderella, her two stepsisters were Anastasia and Drizella (which at the time I thought was Drusilla) so I named the two plants in our living room Anastasia and Drusilla. I know, I was a weird kid--although I also loved Anastasia because of the Russian princess--but still.
Long story short (too late), I've loved the name Ursula for most of my life.

I think Ursula is quite beautiful. It DOES remind me of that devious, octopus witch from the Little Mermaid, but not entirely. As others have said, I believe it's sophisticated and original. Plus it would age well, from childhood to adulthood.

I really like this name; I don't know it's just different, and plus there aren't many U names that sound intelligible. I think it's just a really lovely name, and definitely usable on any age. :)

I have never liked this name, but it still reminds me of a very classy lady.

Weird, but I'd rather meet someone with this than McKenzie and Caylee.

I love my middle name so much I used to go by it, and still usually sign my name with my middle name included. For a long time I even wanted to name my first daughter Urszula (using the Polish spelling to tell us apart). I like that it's pretty much a universal name, with equivalents in a lot of other languages and cultures.

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I don't see why some inconsequential cartoon movie from 20 years ago should suddenly matter more to some people than thousands of years of positive history and associations. (I have the same issue with why a lot of people hate the name Damien.) My parents chose my middle name in honor of one of the characters in the D. H. Lawrence novel The Rainbow.

It's not a bad SOUNDING name, but apparently it means She-Bear? That paired with Ursula the sea witch makes it difficult to picture anyone under 200 pounds with this name.

My great-grandmother's name! Not really my favourite name, but it's rare and kind of neat. Ursula. Well, I don't know, I think I just don't like the letter "U". Still not my favourite, but it could be cute on the right person!

I first encountered this name at an impressionable age when I first watched The Little Mermaid. This became my favorite Disney princess movie, so this name is now, unfortunately, synonymous with the sea witch. If I try really, really hard, I can get some elegance out of it, but I just don't get it. No offense to the real Ursulas out there; it's just what happens with first impressions!

Eew. I hate this name. There's something about the the two u's that makes this name sound simply ugly. Not to mention the famous seawitch impressions.

No matter how this name was pronounced, it'd still be ugly.

I first heard this name from the sea witch in The Little Mermaid; although I like this name and it's quite pretty and you don't see too many names that start with a "U", I can't stop thinking of the evil woman from the movie. Sorry if I offended anyone.

I really don't like this name. It looks and sounds ugly.

I think Ursula is a really elegant, lovely name. I still do associate with with the sea witch, but I can separate it I guess. I love Ursulie, the cute French version even more, and am surprised there's no listing for it. Ursuline is also rather nice.

I like this name, considering it's one of the few girls' names starting with U that's well-known. But why isn't it more popular? Guess the Little Mermaid was too much for this beautiful name! I guess people don't want to use names like this on their daughters and instead want to use crap like Madison (barf) or Kendall (gag).

The English pronunciation of this name is horrible. The name should be pronounced ''OOR-syu-lah'' in English, then it would sound pretty. This is a pretty cool name despite the negative associations to the Little Mermaid, but I wouldn't use a saint name. Not if I can avoid it. Either way, this name sounds nicely unusual, but not totally weird.

I adore the name Ursula. It's at the very top of our list along with Wilhelmina - both very rarely used in Australia! I tire of the Little Mermaid comments - with sons called Felix and Theodore, it's obvious popular culture doesn't affect my love of certain names. :) Then again that movie came along after my childhood. Associations are very powerful, but if I were to have a daughter Ursula, the tots of 2010 would not be aware of it. Their parents may.

I only saw The Little Mermaid a few times as a child (it was one of the few Disney movies I didn't own), and I barely remember the witch, so I associate it instead with the beautiful Ursula Andress. I rather like the name, and in response to another comment, I really CAN hear someone cooing to their little Ursula. I think it's a nice, normal Latinate sort name without cartoon associations, and while it's not one of my favorites, I like it.

For some reason I've always liked this name. I can't figure out why!

Sounds like a witch's name. Of course, I might be heavily influenced by the Little Mermaid lol, but it just doesn't sound like a good name, especially through childhood. Poor kid would get teased to beat the band. Honestly, can you imagine a mother cooing at her toddler and being like "Peekaboo, Ursula!"

I can very easily picture that.

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Ursula is a fine name, gorgeous but not in the obvious way.

Nope, can't say I like it very much. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

It is a very special name, but unfortunately people don't name their children like this anymore. It has something noble and so strangely feminine.

I like the name. I think it is strong and beautiful.

Nothing of elegance, grace or sophistication can enter my mind at the sound of Ursula, entirely because of the Little Mermaid.

I've got a friend Ursula, but we just call her Ursh because it's difficult to pronounce. I think it's a cool name. Urshie?

Ursula is a pretty name, but reminds my of the sea witch on The Little Mermaid. :(

Ursula is a nice enough name in and of itself, but I can't hear it without thinking of the villainess in Disney's "The Little Mermaid"; that's where I first heard it.

Ursula is really an elegant name! It reminds me of a tall, delicate, blonde or dark-haired woman and Ursula K. Le Guin the arthor!