UK girl's name
Othelia
Female name meaning "wealth" or "prosperity", from the Old English Othinc.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Othelia is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Othelia popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4645, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 4 births.
This profile covers 7 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2019 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Othelia is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 7 living people in the UK are called Othelia. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Othelia ranked #4645 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 4 girls were registered as Othelia.
- • About 7 living people in the UK are estimated to have Othelia as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4645
2022
Births in 2022
4
Latest year
Peak year
2022
4 births
Estimated living
7
2026
Meaning
What does Othelia mean?
The name Othelia is believed to have originated from the Greek language, with roots tracing back to the classical era of Ancient Greece. It is derived from the Greek word "othelos," which means "plump" or "fertile." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with concepts of abundance, prosperity, and fertility.
In ancient Greek mythology, there is a figure named Othelia, who was one of the Nereids, the fifty sea nymph daughters of the sea god Nereus and the Oceanid Doris. Othelia was known for her beauty and grace, and her name embodied the bounty and richness of the sea.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Othelia can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire, where it was used as a feminine name among the Greek-speaking population. In the 6th century, there is a record of an Othelia who was a nun in the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai.
In the Middle Ages, the name Othelia was relatively uncommon but not unheard of in various parts of Europe. One notable figure from this period was Othelia of Normandy (1080-1115), a French noblewoman who was the daughter of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, and wife of Gerard Gherardini, Count of Burgundy.
During the Renaissance, the name Othelia gained some popularity in Italy, particularly in the northern regions. One famous bearer of the name was Othelia Baglioni (1492-1557), an Italian noblewoman and member of the powerful Baglioni family of Perugia.
In the 17th century, the name Othelia was used by several notable figures, including Othelia de Bourbon (1594-1627), a French princess who was the daughter of King Henry IV of France and his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrées.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Othelia Revett (1676-1751), an English artist and antiquarian who is best known for her contributions to the study of ancient Greek architecture through her work with her husband, Nicholas Revett, on the publication "The Antiquities of Athens."
As the name Othelia transcended time and geographical boundaries, it continued to be borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and eras. These include Othelia Amalie Wilhelmine Zitze (1784-1856), a German writer and translator, and Othelia Myrtilla Lovering (1874-1953), an American educator and suffragist.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Othelia over time
The chart below shows babies named Othelia registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2019 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Othelia, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2022, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Othelia by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Othelia was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4645 | 4 | 1 |
| 2010s | #5591 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Othelia
- Olivia 123,111
- Orla 10,799
- Olive 6,815
- Ophelia 4,939
- Ottilie 4,407
- Oliwia 2,608
- Ocean 1,811
- Orlaith 1,357
- Olivia-Rose 1,250
- Octavia 1,243
- Olivia-Grace 618
- Orlagh 608
FAQ
Othelia: questions and answers
How popular is the name Othelia in the UK right now?
In 2022, Othelia was ranked #4645 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Othelia most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 4 babies registered as Othelia in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Othelia?
Female name meaning "wealth" or "prosperity", from the Old English Othinc.
How many people are called Othelia in the UK?
A total of 7 babies have been registered as Othelia across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.