Ottilie is a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

for women. The name is a French derivative of the medieval

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

masculine name

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

, and has the meaning "prosperous in battle", "riches", "prosperous" or "wealth".

Popularity

The name has increased in popularity in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in recent years. It has ranked among the top 500 names for girls in those countries since 2015 and was the 118th most popular name for girls there in 2021. It is a name that has been particularly well-used for girls from

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is gen ...

British families. The traditional German pronunciation is o-TEE-lee-ə. The usual

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

pronunciation is OT-i-lee. Its popularity in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

peaked in 1880 when it reached almost 600th position. It is now an unfamiliar name to many Americans, but is also increasing in usage in the

, where the name was given to 25 newborn girls in 2021. Ottilie is a variant of Odile. Ottilia, Ottiliana, and Ottoline are variants of Ottilie.

People

Ottilie Abrahams Ottilie Grete Abrahams (2 September 19372 July 2018) was a Namibian educator, activist, and politician. Personal Abrahams was born on 2 September 1937 in the Old Location township outside of Windhoek. Abrahams was the daughter of Otto Schimmi ...

, Namibian activist *

Ottilie Assing Ottilie Davida Assing (11 February 1819 – 21 August 1884) was a 19th-century German-American feminist, freethinker, and abolitionist. Early life and education Born in Hamburg, she was the eldest daughter of poet Rosa Maria Varnhagen, raised a ...

, German journalist *

Ottilie von Bistram Ottilie Bistram (1859–1931) was a Baltic German writer and teacher. She was also a pioneer in the struggle for female access to education. References BBLD - Baltisches biografisches Lexikon digital 1859 births 1931 deaths Latvian educ ...

, Latvian writer and teacher * Ottilia Borbáth, Romanian actor * Ottilie Davidová, the youngest of

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

's three sisters * Ottilie Fleischer, German athlete * Ottilie Louise Fresco, Dutch scientist *

Otti Geschka Otti Geschka (born Ottilie Bördner; 27 December 1939) is a German Pediatric nurse practitioner, pediatric nurse and politician. Being a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) she was elected as the ...

, full name Ottilie Geschka (born 1939), German pediatric nurse and politician * Ottilie Godefroy, Austrian actor who performed under the name Tilla Durieux *

Ottilie von Hansemann Ottilie von Hansemann (11 April 1840 in Koblenz – 12 December 1919 in Berlin) was a German women's rights activist, significant patroness of the women's movement in Prussia, and a champion for the right of women to attend German universities, to p ...

, German women's rights activist *Ottilie Houser Brattain, American mathematician and mother of the physicist

Walter Houser Brattain Walter Houser Brattain (; February 10, 1902 – October 13, 1987) was an American physicist at Bell Labs who, along with fellow scientists John Bardeen and William Shockley, invented the point-contact transistor in December 1947. They shared t ...

. *

Ottilie Hoffmann Ottilie Franziska Hoffmann (14 July 183520 December 1925) was a German educationalist and social reformer who came to prominence as a pioneering temperance activist. Early life and education Ottilie Hoffmann was born in the central quarter of ...

, German educationalist and social reformer *

Ottilie of Katzenelnbogen Ottilie of Katzenelnbogen (c. 1451 – 15 August 1517, Baden-Baden), was by marriage Margravine of Baden-Baden. Life She was the only child of Philipp II ''the Younger'' of Katzenelnbogen (1427 – 27 February 1453) and Ottilie of Nassau-Siegen ...

, German aristocrat *

Tillie Klimek Ottilie "Tillie" Klimek (born Otylia Gburek; 1876 – November 20, 1936) was a Polish American serial killer, active in Chicago. According to accounts, she pretended to have precognitive dreams, accurately predicting the dates of death of her ...

, American serial killer *Ottilie Kruger, American actor and daughter of the actor

Otto Kruger Otto Kruger (September 6, 1885 – September 6, 1974) was an American actor, originally a Broadway matinee idol, who established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's ''Saboteur''. He also appeared in CBS's ''Perry Mason'' a ...

* Ottilia Carolina Kuhlman, Swedish actor *

Ottoline Leyser Dame Henrietta Miriam Ottoline Leyser (born 7 March 1965) is a British plant biologist and Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge, Chief Executive Officer of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Sainsbury Laboratory, ...

, British plant biologist * Ottilie A. Liljencrantz, American writer *

Ottilia Littmarck Ottilia Sofia Littmarck (22 June 1834– 14 July 1929) was a Swedish actress and theatre director. She was a noted actress in Sweden in the late 19th century. Biography She was born in the parish of Jäder in Södermanland to inspector Johan Rylan ...

, Swedish actor and director *

Tilly Losch Ottilie Ethel Leopoldine Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon (''née'' Losch; November 15, 1903 – December 24, 1975), known professionally as Tilly Losch, was an Austrian dancer, choreographer, actress, and painter who lived and worked for most of ...

, Austrian dancer and choreographer *

Ottalie Mark Ottalie Mark (Born Thilla Mark, October 3, 1896 - November 13, 1979) was an American musicologist, copyright consultant, composer, and music editor. Early life and education Ottalie Mark was born on October 3, 1896, the daughter of David and R ...

, Russian-American musicologist *

Ottilie Maclaren Wallace Ottilie Helen McLaren (or MacLaren) Wallace (2 August 1875 – 17 October 1947) was a sculptor, a pupil of Auguste Rodin and an Associate Member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. Early life Ottilie Helen McLaren was the youngest dau ...

, Scottish sculptor * Ottilie Metzger, German contralto *

Lady Ottoline Morrell Lady Ottoline Violet Anne Morrell (16 June 1873 – 21 April 1938) was an English aristocrat and society hostess. Her patronage was influential in artistic and intellectual circles, where she befriended writers including Aldous Huxley, Sieg ...

, English society hostess *

Ottilie Mulzet Ottilie Mulzet (born July, 1960 in Toronto) is a literary translator of Hungarian poetry and prose whose work has been recognized with several major literary awards. She is known in particular for her translations of several books by László Kra ...

, translator of Hungarian poetry and prose * Ottilie Palm Jost, Canadian impressionist artist *

Ottilie Patterson Anna Ottilie Patterson (31 January 1932 – 20 June 2011) was a Northern Irish blues singer best known for her performances and recordings with the Chris Barber Jazz Band in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Biography Anna Ottilie Patterson was ...

, Northern Irish jazz singer * Ottilie Roederstein, Swiss painter * Ottilie Stibaner, German chess player * Ottilie Sutro, American pianist * Ottilie Tolansky (1912–1977), Austrian artist *

Ottilie Wildermuth Ottilie Wildermuth (; née Rooschüz; 22 February 1817 in Rottenburg am Neckar – 12 July 1877 in Tübingen) was a German writer, particularly notable for her children's books. Life Ottilie Rooschüz was the daughter of Gottlob Christian ...

, German writer *

Otylia Jędrzejczak Otylia Jędrzejczak (; born 13 December 1983) is a Polish swimmer. She was the Olympic champion from 2004 Athens in the 200 metre butterfly. She finished 4th in this event in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and also swam at the 2000 Summ ...

, Polish swimmer

Fictional characters

*Ottilie, a principal character in the novel ''

Elective Affinities ''Elective Affinities'' (German: ''Die Wahlverwandtschaften''), also translated under the title ''Kindred by Choice'', is the third novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1809. Situated around the city of Weimar, the book relates the ...

'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe *Ottilie Harshom, protagonist in John Wyndham‘s story "

Random Quest "Random Quest" is a science fiction short story, which is also a love story, by British writer John Wyndham. It was included in his 1961 collection '' Consider Her Ways and Others''. It has been dramatised three times, twice under its original na ...

", published in 1961 and later made into the film '' Quest for Love'' *Ottilie, in "To Ottilie" by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

*Ottilie, in the short story "House of Flowers" by

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

, later adapted into a musical of the same name

References

{{given name English given names