kahlanne Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Since I wasn't getting many responses on my baby boards, I thought I would ask here. I know how opinionated people here can be :tongue_smilie: and that is just what I need. LOL. I have found a couple of names that are very appealing but am not sure if I am pronouncing it correctly especially considering I grew up in backwoods Mississippi and now live in rural Louisiana. I don't run across names such as this often but that is one thing I love about them. My other children have uncommon names as well Celena "CC", Nathan "Nate" (was uncommon then), Annabelle Scarlett "Annie", Evangeline "Evie", and Zeke. Baby #6 is due in April and we won't find out the sex. For a boy our top runners are Remy, Wyatt, and Jeremiah "Remy". Anyway..... The names are Ottilia and Ottilie. I have researched and there seems to be many pronunciations. Does anyone know anyone by this name? How did they pronounce it? If not, how would you assume it is pronounced? Do you like the name? What about the nickname Tillie/Tilly? If you would like to suggest middle names, I would be so thankful. Other girl considerations are Esme (dh isn't so sure) and Etta (we haven't found a longer version we love though.) Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadiegirl Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 don't have a clue how to pronounce those names but I do love Tilly. I like names that are unusual-perhaps I mean rarely used or ones used in years past. However, I want them to be names that others can easily pronounce and easy to spell for others. I have a pretty common name but there are variations to the ending(y, ie or i) and I am always correcting the spelling which is a pain. I think in life as they grow older, it is helpful in a career or other areas of life to have a name that is easy for others to say/spell. Oh, and I had two boys but I told my husband that if we had had a girl that I always wanted to name her, "Ivy." Love that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Hmmm... I've never seen/heard of these names before. If I saw them I'd guess they were pronounced Oh-TILL-eeya and AW-till-ee Esme is so pretty. That's my favorite of the girl names you're considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in KS Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I would be a little concerned people reading the name would pronounce it as Attila (as in "the Hun"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I like 'Tilly' but Ottilia sounds too much like 'Atilla' to me - it might lead to teasing. I would pronounce it short o, TILL, ee, uh. Ottilie sounds a bit like 'Utterly' to me (I don't pronounce my 'r'). I'd pronounce it stressed short O, till, ee. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 :iagree: with those pronounciations, though I've never heard the names before. I would expect they'd be difficult for some to pronounce. Tilly is a lovely nickname :) I do love Esme. Dd10 has a friend named Etta (they are from Iceland where it is a more common name), which I think is a beautiful name as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraciebytheBay Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I would pronounce it "O-teel-ee-a". But then I just read Hamlet, so maybe that's why.;) I haven't heard these names before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I've never heard the first two names. If I ran across a girl named Esme I would assume her mother was obsessed with the Twilight books. I really like Etta. It was the name of a precious great-aunt of mine.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwenhwyfar Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 esme = currently has a big twilight connection, just in case you didn't know and would find that annoying or something. (that's the name of the 'mom' of the cullen family) i don't like ottilia ...never been a fan of names that start with O... but hey, that's just me.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 See, I didn't even think of Twilight with Esme! It makes me think of a great-aunt's name :) Esme, Sarah, Helen, Margaret, and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Because of the double 't', I would pronounce it ot - til - ya, with all short vowels, and the accent on the first syllable, and ot-til-ee, also with a short o and i sound. What about Marietta, Juliette/Julietta, or Marguerite to get a nickname of Etta? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Tilly is often a nickname for Matilda or Natalie. Why not use one of those names and call her Tilly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Ottilia...I wouldn't even know where to begin with pronouncing it. Don't mind Tillie as a nick though. I do like Esme :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I had an older female relative with this name and in Kentucky, it was pronounced O-til-uh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 What do the "O" names you listed mean? That would help me decide if I liked them enough to go that unusual. I'm not fond of any other O names, personally, but ymmv! I do like the suggestion of Natalie. I'd steer clear of Esme b/c of Twilight. I mostly go for older names if they have some sort of family connection attached to make them meaningful. Again, ymmv!!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Etta (we haven't found a longer version we love though.) Thanks so much! Annette or Annetta I was planning on Florence, with Flory as a nickname, if kiddo had been XX. But I had a GM named Florence, and Burmese Days was one of the most enjoyable novels I've read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I haven't read Twilight, but Esme reminds me of the movie "Babe" because the farmer's wife was Esme Hoggett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I haven't read Twilight, but Esme reminds me of the movie "Babe" because the farmer's wife was Esme Hoggett. I know a man from Africa with a name pronouced ES-se-may. I always thought it would make a nice girl's name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 The names are Ottilia and Ottilie. ah ti (short i) LEE uh and AH ti (short i) lee However, if I was going to use the second name/pronunciation, I'd probably change the spelling to Ottilee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I love Tilly! I would pronounce it OH-till-ia, if I just happened upon it. My first thought for a middle name was Grace Ottilia Grace (Tilly Grace) I also like Esme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Tilly is often a nickname for Matilda or Natalie. Why not use one of those names and call her Tilly? Oh, I like the idea of Matilda, called "Tilly"! Not a fan of the inscrutable O names though, sorry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 This is not on your list, but your list reminds me of a friend's daughter... Talia I had never heard it before! It grew on me and this young girl was a dear one! She is now an older teen. Sheesh... time goes by and I feel old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I have no idea how I would go about pronouncing Ottilia, but it did make me think of Atilla the Hun. I absolutely adore the nickname Tillie, and I've been trying to think of full name to go with it for my currently imaginary daughter. ;). If you don't mind uncommon names, how about Millicent nn Tillie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I haven't heard either of your O names either. I knew a Tilly once--she was a very sweet older lady--but I don't know if that was her given name or a nickname. Hm, pronunciation? Otillia=Oh TILL eeya. Otillie=Oh TILL ee. I haven't read Twilight so I didn't know about the connection to the name Esme. But I have read the Series of Unfortunate Events and there is a ridiculous character there named Esme. Have fun with your name search! Cinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I like Tilly :) How about Elsie or Elsa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 How about Clothilde/Clotilda, nn Tillie? Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2J112903 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Ottilia O-Til-lee-a and Ottilie O-Til-lee I am one for "different" names or names that are not spelled the traditional amercian way, but these are *very* different. People are *always* mispronoucing J's name just because we spelled it the traditional Czech way instead of the traditional amercian way. I do not have a Joseph, I have a Jose-F. Unless you really know how to pronuce his name and he is Yosef :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 This is not on your list, but your list reminds me of a friend's daughter... Talia I had never heard it before! It grew on me and this young girl was a dear one! She is now an older teen. Sheesh... time goes by and I feel old! Mercedes' Lackey has a Valdemar series where Talia is the main character. (Arrows of the Queen and so on) Given age of young teen, I would wonder if child was named after book, first published 1987 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 (edited) If I saw these names I would pronounce Ottilia as Oh-TILL-ee-ah and Ottilie as Oh-tilly or Oh-till-EE, though I can see that it might be intended as the same pronounciation for both names. I haven't met anyone with these names so I don't know what the "right" pronounciation would be. It might be worth showing the names to several people where you live, since regional pronounciations might make a difference. On Etta, one of my grandmothers was Emilietta. Edited October 20, 2010 by Sebastian (a lady) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I have no idea about the O name but I love etta for a nickname. What about Elisabet (nn Etta). Another one I have always liked is Annette with the nickname Nettie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I found this. I considered the french Mathilde (Mateeld) with Tillie as a nickname. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5wolfcubs Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 My first thought was Attilla the Hun. But reading the responses, I kind of like both versions of the name. You could always call her "Lee!" :) My only suggestion for a middle name is make sure her initials won't spell something unpleasant now or if she changes her name when she marries (OWE, OOP, OLD, etc!). I know a little girl whose full name is Etta, named after her grandma Maryetta. I like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I've only seen "Ottalee", pronounced long O, short A, long E. It seems "Ella" is anothe E name making a comeback. Two of my great-grandmothers had this name.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Ottilie/Ottilee I would pronounce AH-til-ee (first syllable with short o sound and accented, second syllable with short i sound, third syllable with long e sound). I like this name a lot. I also love Esme and Etta. I didn't know about the Esme/Twilight connection though - that would rule it out for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I would guess Ah-till-ee-uh (Ottilia) and Ah-till-ee (Ottilee). My youngest loves the name Esmay and has used it for a character in one of her stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smrtmama Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I would be a little concerned people reading the name would pronounce it as Attila (as in "the Hun"). Wouldn't be concerned about that, not because they wouldn't (they probably would), but because people are still named Attila today. When I was a teen traveling throughout Europe, I met a VERY handsome young man by the name of Attila while I was in Budapest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahlanne Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 Thanks everyone for all the responses. I was sick yesterday and unable to get online to thank you properly. I am a little conscerned about the Atilia comment although I never thought that at all. I will have to think more about the name now though. Esme is still a favorite of mine Twilight or not. I am not worried the least about its influence. I actually loved the name years before and now it is less "weird" to people thanks to Twilight. LOL. I have added Matilda to the list. Thanks for suggesting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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