Girl's name
Ophelia
Say it oh-FEE-lee-uh
Greek origin help, aid, succour
4 syllables
Where Ophelia is loved, common and rare
Common across Quebec and England and Wales. Rare in five German cities, Sweden, British Columbia and nine more places.
1 in 438 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Quebec 56thEngland and Wales 81stSweden 131st
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 18 of the 40 official lists, among them Quebec (56th), England and Wales (81st) and Sweden (131st).
Show all 18 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec province | 56th 2025 | 93 | about 1 in 280 |
| England and Wales | 81st 2025 | 578 | 1 in 438 |
| Sweden | 131st 2025 | 70 | about 1 in 574 |
| British Columbia province | 132nd 2023 | 22 | about 1 in 544 |
| Scotland | 183rd 2025 | 22 | 1 in 813 |
| Berlin city | 257th 2023 | 12 | about 1 in 1,209 |
| Austria | 258th 2025 | 23 | 1 in 1,553 |
| Ontario province | 292nd 2024 | 43 | about 1 in 1,267 |
| Cologne city | 308th 2023 | 4 | about 1 in 1,536 |
| Northern Ireland | 334th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 1,822 |
| Switzerland | 387th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 1,700 |
| France as Ophélia | 760th 2025 | 65 | 1 in 4,412 |
| The Netherlands | 801st 2025 | 13 | about 1 in 4,693 |
| Ireland | 885th 2025 | 3 | 1 in 7,042 |
| Italy | 1792nd 2024 | 4 | 1 in 44,792 |
| Leipzig city | 128th 2025 | 4 | about 1 in 656 |
| Rostock city | 166th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 985 |
| Bonn city | 382nd 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 3,015 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Ophelia was coined by the Italian poet Jacopo Sannazaro in 1504, probably from the Ancient Greek word for 'help, aid, succour'. Shakespeare then gave it to the daughter of Polonius in Hamlet, and a moon of Uranus is named after that character.
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It has four syllables, said oh-FEE-lee-uh, with the stress on the second. Ophélia, Ofelia and Ofèlia are the European spellings.
This is a name on the move. It is rising in almost every region where it is recorded, and it is already well placed in Quebec and in England and Wales, with a growing presence in Sweden and Austria. Canadian and French records show it first appearing in the 1960s, so it has only lately become a mainstream choice rather than a purely literary one.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- oh-FEE-lee-uh, 4 syllables
- Meaning
help, aid, succour
- Origin
- Greek
- Other spellings
- Ophelie
- Ofelia
- Ofèlia
- Ofelya
- Ofélia
Counted together here: Ophélia.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian Ofelia, coined by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro in his poem Arcadia (1504), probably from the Ancient Greek ὠφέλειᾰ (ōphéleiă, “help, aid, succour”). The name was used by William Shakespeare for the daughter of Polonius and ill-fated love interest of Hamlet. Doublet of anopheles.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 13 of 16 regions, falling in 1.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 283 | 212 | 161 | 177 | 180 | 116 | 81 | 74 | 73 | 81 |
| Scotland | 675 | 409 | 502 | 765 | 765 | 442 | 285 | 197 | 260 | 183 |
| Northern Ireland | 266 | 183 | 328 | 253 | 334 | |||||
| Ireland | 579 | 896 | 834 | 764 | 559 | 625 | 631 | 885 | ||
| Ontario | 264 | 270 | 227 | 309 | 275 | 228 | 241 | 183 | 292 | |
| British Columbia | 263 | 148 | 133 | 157 | 168 | 131 | 159 | 132 | ||
| Quebec | 235 | 148 | 149 | 116 | 88 | 81 | 68 | 78 | 55 | 56 |
| France | 1065 | 1161 | 829 | 1005 | 989 | 1106 | 1071 | 932 | 1013 | 760 |
| The Netherlands | 949 | 891 | 947 | 801 | ||||||
| Austria | 873 | 860 | 601 | 295 | 429 | 339 | 199 | 209 | 263 | 258 |
| Switzerland | 804 | 985 | 534 | 773 | 598 | 795 | 354 | 514 | 438 | 387 |
| Berlin | 458 | 472 | 382 | 496 | 245 | 325 | 231 | 257 | ||
| Munich | 217 | 172 | 172 | 117 | ||||||
| Cologne | 959 | 349 | 449 | 432 | 223 | 643 | 308 | |||
| Bonn | 359 | 168 | 181 | 115 | 382 | |||||
| Leipzig | 375 | 148 | 186 | 191 | 262 | 186 | 361 | 222 | 128 | |
| Rostock | 184 | 202 | 202 | 158 | 166 | |||||
| Sweden | 457 | 239 | 258 | 303 | 221 | 213 | 163 | 154 | 140 | 131 |
| Italy | 3007 | 1565 | 1792 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 81 | 578 | 228.2 |
| 2024 | 73 | 645 | 250.0 |
| 2023 | 74 | 620 | 241.7 |
| 2022 | 81 | 603 | 228.8 |
| 2021 | 116 | 433 | 158.0 |
| 2020 | 180 | 277 | 103.2 |
| 2019 | 177 | 282 | 100.7 |
| 2018 | 161 | 335 | 116.2 |
| 2017 | 212 | 243 | 81.2 |
| 2016 | 283 | 177 | 57.6 |
| 2015 | 253 | 197 | 64.0 |
| 2014 | 326 | 141 | 46.0 |
| 2013 | 306 | 152 | 49.3 |
| 2012 | 406 | 115 | 35.7 |
| 2011 | 412 | 108 | 33.6 |
| 2010 | 559 | 71 | 22.1 |
| 2009 | 421 | 99 | 31.6 |
| 2008 | 557 | 68 | 21.5 |
| 2007 | 604 | 59 | 19.3 |
| 2006 | 639 | 50 | 16.7 |
| 2005 | 736 | 40 | 13.9 |
| 2004 | 758 | 37 | 12.9 |
| 2003 | 1224 | 18 | 6.5 |
| 2002 | 1192 | 17 | 6.4 |
| 2001 | 871 | 26 | 9.7 |
| 2000 | 728 | 32 | 11.7 |
| 1999 | 816 | 27 | 9.6 |
| 1998 | 801 | 28 | 9.7 |
| 1997 | 946 | 22 | 7.5 |
| 1996 | 1112 | 17 | 5.7 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Ophelia in France since 1925 were born in or after 2000. First recorded in 1965. Her peak year there: 1992, at 42.6 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Ophelia per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 1992 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Ophelia
1 in 599 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 488 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 394 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 606 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 911 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 298 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 607 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 658 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
1 in 307 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ophelia.
Middle names for Ophelia
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Ophelia Charlotte
4-2 beats · initials OC
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Ophelia Sophie
4-2 beats · initials OS
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Ophelia Grace
4-1 beats · initials OG
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Ophelia Maria
4-3 beats · initials OM
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Ophelia Mia
4-2 beats · initials OM
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Ophelia Ruby
4-2 beats · initials OR
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Ophelia Rose
4-1 beats · initials OR
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Ophelia Emily
4-3 beats · initials OE · Ophelia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Ophelia: 4 syllables, then 3 syllables. Ophelia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Same style as Ophelia
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
1 in 636 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
1 in 599 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
1 in 911 in Northern Ireland
92% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,625 in Ireland
92% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
1 in 473 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
1 in 716 in Scotland
92% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
1 in 3,127 in England and Wales
91% alike: moves with Ophelia across countries and decades.
Famous people named Ophelia
Ophelia Lovibond.
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-
English actress (born 1986)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Ophelia
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Ophelia?
Her best rank is No. 56 in Quebec in 2025, about 1 in 280 girls. She is in the published lists of 18 of our 40 regions.
What does Ophelia mean?
Wiktionary glosses Ophelia as "help, aid, succour".
How do you pronounce Ophelia?
oh-FEE-lee-uh, with 4 syllables.
Is Ophelia getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 13 of 16 regions, falling in 1.
Which sister names go with Ophelia?
The deck's top five sisters for Ophelia: Cleo, Athena, Lyra, Gianna and Zahra. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.