Ophelia

Origin and meaning of Ophelia

Ophelia comes from the Greek ōphéleia (ὠφέλεια), 'help, benefit, aid'. Perhaps first coined by the Italian poet Sannazaro in his Arcadia, the name owes its fame above all to the tragic, poetic Ophelia of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Literary and romantic in flavour, it is found in English-speaking countries and France, where it now enjoys renewed popularity; related forms such as Ofelia in Italy and Spain and Ophélie in France show its circulation across Latin Europe.

Variants around the world

How Ophelia sounds in other languages.

Frequently asked questions