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[Opinions] Olga and Helga
I’ve noticed these two names often get lumped together in the “ugly” category, but to me they really give a different vibe. Olga feels Slavic, fresh and pleasant. Helga feels Germanic/Scandinavian, harsh, dated and indeed ugly AF.Thoughts?"We have met the enemy and he is us" Walt Kelly
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I do not have a problem with either and neither to me are ugly. I actually quite like Olga, though I'd probably never use it. It reminds me of the eldest Romanov daughter, so it always had a more youthful, royal feel to me. Helga always reminded me of a little girl, mostly because of Hey Arnold, or a sweet grandmother.
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I like them both now, but I used to dislike both. They sound old-fashioned and abrupt. I liked Helga first, and I still prefer it.Olga is very distinctive. Helga vaguely reminds me of Helen, Heidi, and Zelda. I think Helga sounds sweeter and Olga more serious.

This message was edited 6/4/2020, 8:17 PM

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I like them both - Helga slightly more than Olga though. This is probably because the extra consonant sound gives it more substance. Strong, independent, courageous, and adventurous.
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I guess the feels are different, but I think Olga is every bit as ugly as Helga.
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I think the similar sounds lump them together in my mind, despite the different origins. Olga reminds me of ogre and I just can't get myself to like it even a little. Helga is a bit more palatable to me, but I don't love the "hel(l)" part. It feels fiery to me.
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Both feel very heavy and ugly to me. I'm Slavic, and while Olga is not unheard of in the younger generations, it definitely has, to put it bluntly, ogre vibes.
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Helga has a softer sound whereas Olga sounds like a horn (think old timey ooga sounding horn). Olga looks prettier written than Helga does. People may think they’re ugly names but I picture cute little girls of the past who grew up to be beautiful women when I see/hear these names.
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I love both, though I prefer Olga. I think Helga is earthy and witchy.
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Same. I like them both, wouldn't put them on my baby list, but I enjoy the names nonetheless (and I think neither is ugly, Helga is just a little "harsh" sounding and is probably best represented by the character of Helga Pataki)
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AgreeI love Olga. I love some of the "clunky" Russian names (Agafiya, Agrafena, Margarita) and Olga fits into this category. I would not call it "fresh and pleasant" I get more of a dark, heady, elegant vibe.I don't mind Helga but it's not nearly as pretty as Olga.But I think for me it is the Ol- versus the Hel- as I feel similarly about Olga, Olivia, Olanna, Olympia etc. and Helga, Heloise, Helen etc.
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I don't think either Olga or Helga is ugly names, in any sense since I love their meanings, but if you're a Dane, they're so very dated and the ones carrying them, have been born before the 1930s and they're just so 'old-ladies crusty' and that's what puts me off about them, however beautiful their meanings are to me.
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Well said - totally agree
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They both sound heavy and rough. I actually don' hate either and I think Olga is better but it might be because I'm used to it and I like some people with this name.
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They both feel “harsh, dated, and indeed ugly AF” to me.
I have no idea where you got “fresh and pleasant” from stilted-sounding Olga. You can even almost say “old” in the begging of the name. Olda.
I agree with you about Helga, though. Definitely unappealing.I guess I have one “ugly” name that I like: Hilda. I don’t know what I find charming about it, but it just doesn’t seem as ugly to me as everyone thinks it is. I guess Hilda Berg made me warm up to it? I also like Hilde, but not really Hild or Hildegard.
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