Tangerine Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Okay. I don't like to ask anyone's opinion of names other than my husband. We wanted to name our last baby Jemima, but living in the states we decided to not saddle a kid with a name that anywhere else in the world would probably be just fine. We are having a mystery baby in March and have a boy name, but are still tossing around girl names. I'm here to ask a question about a name. I don't much care if you're like "Ew, I don't like it," though you're free to say so if you just must. It is just one of many we're discussing. I've put some options in, but I may not cover it. So here's the question: The name is Ottilie. Pronounced differently in different parts of the world. For instance "Oh-TEEL-ee-uh". Not what I'm asking about. I'm asking about the pronunciation "AH-till-EE". Here's the problem. I had my friend from South Africa say it and I thought it sounded lovely. But in an American accent, the T sounds like a D, and I'm concerned it just sounds like "oddly". So let me have it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 The poll is set up so that I have to vote in both of them. That would be rather contradictory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 The structure of the post does not work, because I have to make one choice from each. I am American and Americans will almost certainly say it like "Oddly." Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I tried to vote but it says I must choose an answer in each category. And that doesn't make sense. When I saw it I thought it was ah-till-lee, the t being a bit soft but not quite a d sound. Still I thinkit's close to oddly; I'm American. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 Okay thanks for the poll feedback. I think I've fixed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I love Jemima and so did DH, but we decided not to name DD that because in this country it isn't really usable. Ottilie is not my style, and I'm still not entirely sure how it should be pronounced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 My best explanation of how Ottilie would be pronounced in an American accent is that it would rhyme with bodily. :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 So if you hadn't mentioned "oddly," I wouldn't have thought it. I don't care for the name though :-/ I'm American. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I think it sounds like Oh Tilly! (as in person 1: 'who is that? Oh, it's Tilly' person 2: 'Oh, Tilly!')Even if it did sound like oddly, I think I'd kind of like that. I like odd. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I wasn't able to vote because for some reason the software tells me that I don't have enough posts to vote! I would have voted the first choice: Sounds too much like oddly and I'm American. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I wasn't able to vote because for some reason the software tells me that I don't have enough posts to vote! I would have voted the first choice: Sounds too much like oddly and I'm American. I got the same error message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I think it sounds like Oh Tilly! (as in person 1: 'who is that? Oh, it's Tilly' person 2: 'Oh, Tilly!') Even if it did sound like oddly, I think I'd kind of like that. I like odd. ;) My first thought was Ah, Tilly. It doesn't make me think "oddly" but definitely makes me think "Tilly." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 It won't let me vote, either. I choose #1. Definitely sounds very close to oddly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 The problem is everything sounds better with a South African accent. :D I honestly would have to ask, and I'm pretty good with names. Ottile would be make it a bit easier to pronounce to me, not sure why though. I think it's an unusual name, which is not always bad. I think it would depend upon how irritated I get by correcting pronunciation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 FWIW, after looking at the pronunciation, the first thing that came to my mind was Attila, as in The Hun. Looking at the spelling, something along the lines of Otter comes to mind, though it takes some pause to guess how it might be pronounced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 The pole isn't working. I wouldn't use it. I hear too much odd and Atilla. Do we have other choices? Good luck. We had no end of trouble naming one of ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I'm Canadian. I think that despite my best efforts (and trust me, I spend a whole lot of time correcting my name, so I do try very hard), it would come out OUGHT-tilly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 My thought was Otter. Otterly. And can't vote, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 As someone who switched from a very Scandinavian first name to my universal middle name, I would say she will be spelling it and explaining it for the rest of her life. I also think that many Americans would not know how to pronounce it and butcher it. I recognize it as a Germanic name where it's pronounced Ott-EE-le-uh but this would probably not work in this country. The other thing I have found - in my generation at least - is that people look at a name written somewhere or they have heard it once and then forgot how to pronounce it and will be hesitant to address the person by name for fear of mispronouncing it. The whole thing got kinda old for me and I changed to my middle name. If you love Ottilie, perhaps bestow an easy middle name on your daughter in case she wants to make that choice. :) ETA: didn't vote since I know the name from other parts of the world but still think it would be mispronounced here as "Oddly or "Ohtilly". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Unable to vote. But I'm American and it sounds way too close to "Oddly" to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 It wouldn't let me vote for some reason, but I would have said I live in America and it sounds like Oddly. That's not to say you shouldn't use it though, if you like it, go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 That's the second time I've heard of someone not using the name ''Jemima'' because of American cultural associations, particularly in the South. I love the name, and it would never have occurred to me to avoid it in America. I have dual American and Canadian citizenship, but I also enunciate. ''Ottilie'' wouldn't sound like ''oddly'' coming from me, but would from most people I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrub Jay Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 It wouldn't let me vote for some reason, but I would have said I live in America and it sounds like Oddly. That's not to say you shouldn't use it though, if you like it, go for it. Must be a board glitch because it isn't letting me vote, either. ITA with the above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I didn't vote because it wouldn't let me - said I had to vote for each question (but there's only one question now). anyway, my answer was going to be that 'I don't think it sounds too much like oddly and I'm American'. :) HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 What about the name Jane Allison? I just thought I'd get my suggestion out there. :) BTW, I tried to vote, but I guess I dont have enough posts, lol, or so the error message stated ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 The structure of the post does not work, because I have to make one choice from each. I am American and Americans will almost certainly say it like "Oddly." Sorry. Yeah, unless I am focused, my "t"s, when following the "ah" sound and followed by a vowel are just going to sound like "d"s. Sorry. That said, my view on baby names is that given with love and hope I don't care what anybody says! People will find a way to tease anybody. I knew a boy named Liam who was once called "Liam-pee-'em" on the playground. You cannot get more innocuous than Liam, or so I thought. Don't let other people's poor reading ability, funny accent, or general attitude ruin a baby name for you. Those are their problems (my problem :) and not yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 I definitely believe people would pronounce it with a D sound. I say it that way. It's just a matter of trying to determine if it would just sound too much like oddly to be a pleasant name. But when I say it, it comes out like Odd uh lee. There's something about it that I like, but I've lived my whole life with a very common name, so I have no personal experience living a life with a name that requires explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 What about the name Jane Allison? I just thought I'd get my suggestion out there. :) BTW, I tried to vote, but I guess I dont have enough posts, lol, or so the error message stated ;) Jane is on my list. Coupled with my last name it totally rhymes with the full name of a famous fictional character. DH is trying to get past that, but I'm not sure it is going to happen. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I do think you're going to have a hard time getting people to enunciate the T's in the US/Canada. I think there's a clear middle syllable there (unlike something like Katherine which gets pronounced as Kathrine most of the time), so I do think it's distinct from oddly. At the same time, if you are concerned about name-related teasing, well, it's pretty easy to get to oddly. It's not a name I'd choose, but I'd be pleased to meet a little Ottilie. There were only 6 of them born in the US last year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Before you explained how to pronounce it, I wanted to read it as OUGHT-ile, second syllable to rhyme with file or pile. I knew that couldn't be correct, but the spelling defeated me. I wanted to name my 4th daughter Fiona because I loved and still love how it sounds pronounced with an Irish lilt...Fee-OHHHH-na. Except that no one I know including myself speaks with an Irish lilt. The name wasn't nearly as pretty spoken in my flat american accent, so I went with Sarah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 You like Jemima. What about Jacinta, Jerusha or Jocasta? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 When you first put the pronunciation the way I was sounding it out did not sound like oddly and I wouldn't have thought of that, When you said it would rhyme with bodily I do see how it can get pronounced more like that instead of with the t sound. It still has the extra syllable so it doesn't sound like oddly but it is close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 We have friends whose daughter is named Jemima. They call her Jems for short. I've never thought anything weird about it at all! I like that name a lot more than Ottilie, honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I tried to vote but it says that I don't have enough posts on this forum to use that feature??????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Tilly's a really cute nickname. I think she would be forever correcting people on the correct pronunciation of Ottilie, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Jemma, Jemi, Jemorah are girl's names with the same meaning as Jemima and possibly won't have the same connotations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 How about Odile? It's similar, but less likely to be butchered. As for Jemima, I wouldn't name a kid Betty if my last name was Crocker or Duncan if my last name was Hines. The same rule applies to the pancake lady. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I wasn't able to vote because for some reason the software tells me that I don't have enough posts to vote! I would have voted the first choice: Sounds too much like oddly and I'm American. Same here. Wouldn't let me vote, but I would have voted for the first one. I have no idea how that name would be pronounced. I'd keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I'm Canadian, and I would pronounce it AW-tilly. Similar to Ottoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 That said, my view on baby names is that given with love and hope I don't care what anybody says! People will find a way to tease anybody. I knew a boy named Liam who was once called "Liam-pee-'em" on the playground. You cannot get more innocuous than Liam, or so I thought. Don't let other people's poor reading ability, funny accent, or general attitude ruin a baby name for you. Those are their problems (my problem :) and not yours. I remember the neonatologist just SCOFFING at our first daughter's name (Violet). Like our baby's in the NICU, but now's the time to tell us the name MIGHT be alright if we called her Vi. Now it's the fastest rising girl name. So I don't get too caught up in people's blech reactions. New-to-me is just unacceptable to some folks. And I totally agree that any name can be turned into an insult, or a rhyme, or some sing-songy silliness. My son's name is Finnegan. I tell him he was Finn once, and he's Finn again. Violet sounds like violent. Willa is a thrilla killa. I do it to my own kids all the time. :closedeyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Nymbler suggests these based on your others: Maura Amelia Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Muriel Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Genevieve Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Lily Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Scarlett Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Lyla Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Charity Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Brenna Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Brigette Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Mckenzie Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Charlotte Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Maeve Alberta Lea Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Kiera Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Nora Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Caroline Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Lesley Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Jewel Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Geneva Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Lila Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Hazel Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Lucy Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Glenna Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Emilie Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Fern Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Darcy Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Keira Add to Inspirations Add to My Favorites Block this name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Maybe it's because I live in a large multicultural city but around here it's not unusual to have a unique name. It used to be commond for immigrants to either alter their names or pick an Anglo/Francophone name but in Vancouver at least, it's now quite common for people to stick to whatever name they have. For the most part, people try hard to learn to pronounce it the way the person says. That's it. Surinder, Hwang, Thi, In-Sook, Sidria, Danuta, Li Xiu... etc. You spell your name a lot, that's it :) And with the whole gaelic fandom giving their kids obscure names with tons of vowels, everyone is spelling all the time anyway LOL (I still stumble when spelling the name of one of my nephews :blushing: )So having a name that you had to pronounce/spell for people just wouldn't be a big deal here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 From yesterday's Nameberry blog post: DAPPER VINTAGE "This year has also marked the centenary of the beginning of the First World War; an event that has been at the forefront of national remembrance. It is little wonder then that some of the names gaining ground this year bring to mind that by-gone age of heroism and stiff upper-lips. These are vintage choices, in line with the Hundred Year Rule, but with a decidedly tailored and refined quality. For boys this is focused on quirky-traditional choices such as Rupert, Hugo, Wilfred, Rufus, Jasper and Felix. For girls, vintage choices with prevalent vowel sounds have proven popular, including Beatrice/Beatrix, Iris, Edith/Edie, Lena, Elodie, Ottilie and Iona (especially in Scotland)." http://nameberry.com/blog/british-name-trends-2014 Aaaand our boy name is also in that blurb. Dapper Vintage must be what I'm going for. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I'm american and I think its beautiful. I've never heard it before so didn't know how it was pronounced. Even with the d instead of t I don't think it sounds too much like oddly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I wasn't able to vote because for some reason the software tells me that I don't have enough posts to vote! I would have voted the first choice: Sounds too much like oddly and I'm American. It told me that, too. I don't know what I'd vote. I don't like the name at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I know from other things she's said that Audrey will disagree with me but I think that the name Audrey has a similar sound, will not be mispronounced and is dapper vintage as well as being very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 It won't let me vote. It keeps saying I have to make a post first. It must be a glitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Is it ok to say I really do not like the name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Natalie sounds similar to Ottilie... just sayin' :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Btervet Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 It's won't let me vote but I don't get a D sound in it at all. To me, it sounds like awww Tilly. I'm American with a southern accent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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