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Help[Opinions] Ophelia
I posted the other day about Josephine and it's definitely high on my list. Sadly though, DH doesn't love it- he said he could live with it but it's not his favourite so I'm still on the hunt. His favourite name of all time is Willow followed very closely by Ophelia. I absolutely adore the way it sounds and am not at all bothered by the Shakespeare connection or the 'I feel ya' thing- almost every name can be made to sound like something else and I don't find it that bad. To be honest, my only hang up with it is the similarity to the root of words like 'necrophilia' 'hemophilia' etc. Would this bother you or am I just over analyzing this whole thing? What are you thoughts on Ophelia? I'm quite smitten with it and really just wanting to know if other people would think the same thing I did about the root similarity to these other less than pleasant words.
Also, how do you think it works with Scarlett and Malcolm?
Also, how do you think it works with Scarlett and Malcolm?
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I like Ophelia! It works fine with Scarlett, but I think it's a bit too dramatic and Shakespearean for Malcolm. (Yeah, Malcolm's shakespearean too, but it just seems more "normal"-- something that could just as easily blend in with names like James and Connor if it wanted to).
I'd absolutely LOVE Willow Ophelia. Are you considering that or do you already have a middle name picked out?
The philia thing doesn't bother me because it's spelled differently and there's only one syllable before it. If there were two, I'd think it sounded like one of those conditions, but as it is I don't think of that when I hear it.
I'd absolutely LOVE Willow Ophelia. Are you considering that or do you already have a middle name picked out?
The philia thing doesn't bother me because it's spelled differently and there's only one syllable before it. If there were two, I'd think it sounded like one of those conditions, but as it is I don't think of that when I hear it.
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I love your kids' names, especially Malcolm. Both Scarlett and Malcolm are warm, approachable, and have just the right touch of the dramatic. They're just lovely, lovely names.
I'll be upfront and admit that I hate Ophelia with a special passion. I think it's hideous, and everything about the name bothers me.
- It reminds me of "oaf" and "offal."
- The "I feel ya" thing and the "necrophilia" thing...whether you pronounce it with 3 or 4 syllables, there's a vile play on words just waiting to be discovered.
- The character from Hamlet, a crap association. Even if it doesn't bother you, it's one pretty much everybody is aware of. Which brings me to the biggest reason I hate it...
- Because the character from Hamlet is so wedded to the name, Ophelia is used over and over again by people and organizations working with "girls in crisis." Ophelia Project? Relational Aggression Disorder in girls. Ophelia's Place? Eating disorders. Reviving Ophelia? The impact on adolescent girls of consumerism and the media pressure to conform to unrealistic body images. It's a name often picked by people who want to evoke some kind of tragic imagery: A quick Google search pulls up a bajillion tear-filled blogs with Ophelia in the title, yet another Ophelia Project (this one about famous female authors and poets who have committed suicide), and even a California radio DJ named "Ophelia Necro" who plays "murder ballads and suicide dirges." Ick.
I can't think of any other name so well loved by namenerds that is so steeped in bad juju.
Obviously, I'm not going to like Ophelia in any sibset, but I especially don't like it with Scarlett and Malcolm. Adding tragic, drowned Ophelia to the mix seems to change the feel of the whole sibset, making it darker and colder. Suddenly, I see the "scar" in Scarlett and the "mal" in Malcolm in a way that I just don't usually notice them.
I'll be upfront and admit that I hate Ophelia with a special passion. I think it's hideous, and everything about the name bothers me.
- It reminds me of "oaf" and "offal."
- The "I feel ya" thing and the "necrophilia" thing...whether you pronounce it with 3 or 4 syllables, there's a vile play on words just waiting to be discovered.
- The character from Hamlet, a crap association. Even if it doesn't bother you, it's one pretty much everybody is aware of. Which brings me to the biggest reason I hate it...
- Because the character from Hamlet is so wedded to the name, Ophelia is used over and over again by people and organizations working with "girls in crisis." Ophelia Project? Relational Aggression Disorder in girls. Ophelia's Place? Eating disorders. Reviving Ophelia? The impact on adolescent girls of consumerism and the media pressure to conform to unrealistic body images. It's a name often picked by people who want to evoke some kind of tragic imagery: A quick Google search pulls up a bajillion tear-filled blogs with Ophelia in the title, yet another Ophelia Project (this one about famous female authors and poets who have committed suicide), and even a California radio DJ named "Ophelia Necro" who plays "murder ballads and suicide dirges." Ick.
I can't think of any other name so well loved by namenerds that is so steeped in bad juju.
Obviously, I'm not going to like Ophelia in any sibset, but I especially don't like it with Scarlett and Malcolm. Adding tragic, drowned Ophelia to the mix seems to change the feel of the whole sibset, making it darker and colder. Suddenly, I see the "scar" in Scarlett and the "mal" in Malcolm in a way that I just don't usually notice them.
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Thank you so much for such a detailed response...I've read it over a few times and it's been VERY helpful! It's funny because as much as I love the name, I am feeling that it does 'darken' the set and that's definitely not what I'm going for. It's such a shame because I really do love the sound.
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Ophelia is one of my favourites. I think you may be overanalyzing with the necrophilia etc similarities. Think of how many other names can sound like something else but are super popular. Aspen has huge teasing potential, but many people like it. The name Justin could have corny jokes attached to it like, "You're Justin time! Haha!" but there are thousands.
I think Ophelia is lovely, and if you do too, why not? :)
Scarlett, Malcolm, and Ophelia? Great sibset!
I think Ophelia is lovely, and if you do too, why not? :)
Scarlett, Malcolm, and Ophelia? Great sibset!
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I love the name.
I'm not put off by the Shakespearean origins, the 'oh feel ya' thing (I pronounce it with four syllables), or the 'philia' similarity (philia means '(brotherly) love', so there are many positive things about that).
I'm not put off by the Shakespearean origins, the 'oh feel ya' thing (I pronounce it with four syllables), or the 'philia' similarity (philia means '(brotherly) love', so there are many positive things about that).
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Thank you for giving me a positive spin on the 'philia' thing- it really is the only thing that makes me think twice. I too say the name with 4 syllables and don't hear the 'oh feel ya' at all...and as for Shakespeare, not bothered at all...a literary character with strong historical roots is good enough for me. I'm just entirely smitten with the names sound...so perfectly lovely!!!
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I have long loved the combo Ophelia Margaret.
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I adore Ophelia! It is a little too out there compared to my other favorites for me to actually use. And the first thing my husband said was "I feel ya", which ruined it a little for me.
The similarity to to the root of other words doesn't bother me as much for some reason.
I do think it works with Scarlett and Malcolm.
The similarity to to the root of other words doesn't bother me as much for some reason.
I do think it works with Scarlett and Malcolm.
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Thanks Marie- I love the three together too:)
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Ophelia has consistently been one of my favorite names. I've enver thought of the 'necrophilia' thing before, but it doesn't bother me. I worry more about the 'i feel ya' to be quite honest.
I don't get the same vibe from Ophelia as I do from Scarlett. I don't think it clashes with Malcolm, though.
I don't get the same vibe from Ophelia as I do from Scarlett. I don't think it clashes with Malcolm, though.
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Glad to hear that not everyone thinks of that...the i feel ya thing doesn't really bother me because I pronounce it with 4 syllables and don't really hear the 'ya' thing. Can I ask what about it clashes with Scarlett in your opinion. I know Ophelia is a much older name but I do think they share a literary connection, which I like...they both also have a dramatic flare that I find appealing.
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I don't think they clash, I just get a different vibe... Or maybe too similar a vibe? The sibset seems a little dark with Ophelia and her literary connections in there with Scarlett (which I get a dark vibe from). I don't think it's that big of a deal. Ophelia is a nice name and I support it being used whatever the context.
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Ophelia sounds very pretty. I wouldn't worry about the -ophilia words - an Ophelia would certainly get the occasional name pun, but it seems like most people get those one way or another, so I wouldn't let that deter me if I wanted to use Ophelia. However, I can't get over the character. She is detestable to me. On the rare occasion that I've seen people named Ophelia, I've wondered if their parents either didn't know about the character, or worse, thought she exemplified femininity, which would be terrifying.
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The character association really doesn't bother me- things like hurricanes or murderers are more the stuff I'd drop a name for. To me any kind of historical/ficitonal literary association is a good thing- makes a name feels like it has more depth etc.
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It's a beautiful name. I don't think of "necrophilia" and "hemophilia." The Shakespearean connection is what I think of first.
It has a bit of a different feel than Scarlett and Malcolm, but it works with them.
As a compromise, maybe you could use it as a middle name if you and your husband find a first name that he likes better than Ophelia that works with Ophelia.
It has a bit of a different feel than Scarlett and Malcolm, but it works with them.
As a compromise, maybe you could use it as a middle name if you and your husband find a first name that he likes better than Ophelia that works with Ophelia.
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Thanks so much for your comment:) I think we both love it too much to keep it in the middle and I really want to use Maureen in that place to honour my mom- having said that, I LOVE the sound of Mary Ophelia!!
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I love it; it's a beautiful name. I don't think you should worry about the word connections-lots of names can be twisted to sound bad.
To answer your second question, I don't really feel like it fits in with Scarlett and Malcolm. Scarlett can feel classic to some people, but to me, it fits more in the "dramatic classic" category. Malcolm is very classic and solid, and does not fit with either of these names,IMO.
To answer your second question, I don't really feel like it fits in with Scarlett and Malcolm. Scarlett can feel classic to some people, but to me, it fits more in the "dramatic classic" category. Malcolm is very classic and solid, and does not fit with either of these names,IMO.
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Do you mean Malcolm doesn't fit with Ophelia and Scarlett? Malcolm and Scarlett are already named so there's no changing those. I think Malcolm and Ophelia are pretty perfect together...the Shakespeare connection and all...plus I love the sound of them together...both strong and dramatic in my eyes. The only thing I don't love about all three together is that Scarlett and Malcolm are both 2 syllable easily pronounced names, whereas Ophelia can be 3 or 4 and seems to have a few accepted pronunciations. To me though, they all illicit a similar feel.
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Well, I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I said, but you did ask for my opinion.
I do love Ophelia, both on its own and as part of sibsets. I do understand that Malcolm and Scarlett are already named and are your children, so you cannot change that.
However, I will phrase my answer a different way: Ophelia and Scarlett both feel like strong, dramatic, almost theatrical names to me. I was not aware of the Shakespeare connection of Malcolm-I have read only a few of his plays. Anyway, Ophelia and Scarlett, combined with Malcolm, feels unbalanced to me-Malcolm feels solid, not dramatic, to me. Therefore, if an Ophelia was added to the mix, your Malcolm may feel like the odd man out. Again, just IMO. Happy decision making.
I do love Ophelia, both on its own and as part of sibsets. I do understand that Malcolm and Scarlett are already named and are your children, so you cannot change that.
However, I will phrase my answer a different way: Ophelia and Scarlett both feel like strong, dramatic, almost theatrical names to me. I was not aware of the Shakespeare connection of Malcolm-I have read only a few of his plays. Anyway, Ophelia and Scarlett, combined with Malcolm, feels unbalanced to me-Malcolm feels solid, not dramatic, to me. Therefore, if an Ophelia was added to the mix, your Malcolm may feel like the odd man out. Again, just IMO. Happy decision making.
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Now I'm sorry- I hope my response didn't come off as not appreciating your comment because I truly did...just wanted to better understand what you were saying. And I totally see your point about Malcolm perhaps feeling left out...I agree that he's definitely the less dramatic of the bunch.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment- very helpful!!!
Thanks again for taking the time to comment- very helpful!!!
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It's a pretty name, I would never have thought of the "I feel ya" or necrophilia comparisons, and I dont think people will either. I think youre overthinking it when it comes to syllables, because it sounds fine with Scarlett and Malcom.
As long as names have a nice flow and dont seem to come out of left field I doubt people are going to be so thrown off that they cant pronounce it, etc... Its a good choice for a pretty, interesting, unique name that seems to come naturally and isnt trying too hard, pair it with a simple or common middle name and I think you will have a real classy winner.
BTW Josephine is my fav
As long as names have a nice flow and dont seem to come out of left field I doubt people are going to be so thrown off that they cant pronounce it, etc... Its a good choice for a pretty, interesting, unique name that seems to come naturally and isnt trying too hard, pair it with a simple or common middle name and I think you will have a real classy winner.
BTW Josephine is my fav
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I love Ophelia! I don't think that you should worry too much about necrophilia/hemophilia/etc. You can twist pretty much any name into a bad association, and besides necrophilia and hemophilia aren't really common insults. You don't really hear people giving each other crap for being necrophiliacs.
I think it's such a pretty, unique name. Only thing is that I don't really feel like it fits with Scarlett and Malcolm, which both have a really classic, English-y feel to me.
I think it's such a pretty, unique name. Only thing is that I don't really feel like it fits with Scarlett and Malcolm, which both have a really classic, English-y feel to me.
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Thanks so much for putting my mind at ease on the whole word association thing:)
I get a very British feel from Ophelia as well- part of what I love about all three names...what vibe do you get from it?
I get a very British feel from Ophelia as well- part of what I love about all three names...what vibe do you get from it?
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More of a Spanish-y feel, probably because of the A. But I think it's mostly because Malcolm and Scarlett seem like such solid and unfussy (not at all a bad thing, don't get me wrong!) names whereas Ophelia is more of a fluid and complex type of name. Not that Ophelia is fussy, either. It's difficult to explain, but I hope you kind of get what I mean!
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I totally get what you mean and it is something that's holding me back a little. I love how unfussy both Scarlett and Malcolm are- straight shooters with no ambiguity...part of what drew me to both names. And I agree that Ophelia is more complex...multiple pronunciations...some rather dark literary history etc. But still with all of that, I find myself completely drawn to it.
Very much appreciate your comment- reading what everyone thinks is really helping:)
Thank you!
Very much appreciate your comment- reading what everyone thinks is really helping:)
Thank you!
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