How to say it
o · PHE · li · a
/oʊˈfiː.li.ə/
Feminine
Ophelia
Help, benefit
What it means
From Greek ōpheleia, 'help' or 'benefit.' A graceful classical name carrying a long literary shadow.
Ophelia comes from the Greek ōpheleia, 'help' or 'benefit.' The Italian poet Sannazaro seems to have coined it as a name around 1504, but it's Shakespeare's Hamlet that made it famous and gave it a melancholy weight, since his Ophelia drowns. The tragic association kept it rare for centuries; the 2010s vintage revival and The Lumineers' 2016 song 'Ophelia' brought it back. Lia, Effie, and Phee soften it for daily use.
Popularity over time
peaked at #232 in 1882, currently #264 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Shakespeare's tragic Ophelia in Hamlet is the dominant association; some parents weigh the drowning storyline, others don't mind it.
- Nickname
Lia, Effie, or Phee all work as everyday shorts.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Ophelia Hamlet's ill-fated love in Shakespeare's play
- Ophelia The Lumineers song, 2016
Spelling variants
- Ofelia
- Ophélie
Names with the same feeling
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