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Baby Names Starting
with
O
OAKLEY: Old English
for "from the oak meadow." Sounds more like a
private academy than a child's name, but try it out before
dismissing it. Relatives: Oakly, Oakleigh, Oakes, Oak.
Namesake: Annie Oakley.
OBADIAH: Hebrew for
"servant of God." Relatives: Obed, Obie, Obe.
Namesake: "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
OCTAVIUS: Latin for
"eighth child." This name and some of the
variations carry a sense of authority. Octavian was, after
all, a Roman emperor. Relatives: Octavus, Octavio, Octavia,
Octavian, Octavie, Tavie, Tavy. Namesake: Octavio Paz.
ODELIA: From the Old
German for "little wealthy one" and Hebrew for
"praise God." Relatives: Odell, Odella, Odelinda,
Odilia, Odette (French for "happy home"), Odetta,
Odelette. Namesakes: Odetta, Odette Brailly.
ODELL: Old German
for "little wealthy one," Greek for
"ode," and Danish for "otter." Odin is
the mythological equivalent of Zeus in the Norse
hierarchy. Relatives: Odin, Ode, Odie, Odis.
ODESSA: Greek for
"odyssey." For the born traveler. Namesake:
Odessa (Tex.)
OGDEN: Old English
for "from the oak valley." Relatives: Oggie,
Denny, Den. Namesake: Ogden Nash.
OGILVY: Old Scottish
for "from the high peak." A proud old Scottish
surname, Ogilvy lends itself to a nice seletion of
nicknames. Relatives: Ogilvie, Gil, Gilie, Gilly.
Namesake: David Ogilvy.
OLAF: Old Norse for
"talisman" or "ancestor." Relatives:
Olav, Olof, Olin, Olen, Olie. Namesakes: Saint Olga, Olga
Korbut.
OLIN: Old English
for "holly." Relatives: Olney, Olinda. Namesake:
Olney (Md.)
Olive: A botanical
name form the Latin. Olive branches are traditionally used
as a symbol of peace. Relatives: Olivia, Olivette, Ollie,
Olly, Olva, Livia, Livy, Nollie, Nola. Namesake: Olivia De
Havilland, Olivia Hussey, "Olive Oyl."
OLIVER: Old Norse
for "kind one" and Old French for "olive
tree." Perhaps because of the Dickens classic, Oliver
has been an enduring favorite in the United Kingdom and
has enjoyed modest popularity in America. Relatives:
Olivier, Olivero, Olley, Olly, Ollie, Noll, Nolly.
Namesakes: Oliver Cromwell, Oliver Goldsmith, Oliver
Hardy, Ollie North, Oliver Twist.
OLYMPIA: Greek for
"of Mount Olympus." For a child with her head in
the clouds. Relatives: Olympe , Olimpie. Namesake: Olympia
Dukakis.
OMAR: Arabic for
"first son" and "disciple," Hebrew for
"gifted speaker," and German for
"famous." Rooted in the Middle East, this name
is rarely used in the West. Relative: Omer. Namesakes:
Saint Omer, Omar Khayyam, General Omar Bradley, Omar
Sharif, grandson of Esau.
OONA: Irish Gaelic
and Latin for "unity." Relatives: Ona, Oonaugh,
Oonagh. Namesake: Oona Chaplin.
OPAL: Sanskrit for
"jewel." The opal is the birthstone for October
babies. Relatives: Opaline, Opalina.
OPHELIA: Greek for
"useful" or "wise." Relative: Ofelia,
Ofilia, Ophelie, Phelia. Namesake: "Ophelia" in
Shakespeare's Hamlet.
ORALIA: Latin for
"golden" and Hebrew for "light."
Relatives: Oriel, Orel, Orelda, Oriole, Orielle, Orlene,
Orlena, Orpah, Oralee, Oralie, Oral, Ora, Orah, Oria,
Orlie, Orly, Orabel. Namesakes: Oral Roberts, Baltimore
Orioles, Orel Herschiser.
ORAN: Irish Gaelic
for "pale one" and Hebrew for "pine."
Relatives: Orin, Orren, Oren, Orran, Orrin, Oram, Orrie.
Namesake: Orrin Hatch.
ORIANA: Latin for
"dawn" and Greek for "east."
Relatives: Oralia, Orelle, Orlanna, Oria. Namesake: Oriana
Fallaci.
ORION: From the
Latin for "dawn" and Greek for "east."
Relatives: Orien, Orienne, Orestes, Orest, Oris.
Namesakes: the constellation, the mythical hunter, Orion
Pictures.
ORLANDO: An Italian
form of Roland and Latin for "bright sun."
Relatives: Orlanda, Orlie, Orly, Lando. Namesakes: Orlando
Cepeda, Tony Orlando, Orlando.
ORSON: Old English
for "spearman's son" and Latin for
"bear." Relatives: Orsen, Orsin, Orsini, Sonny.
Namesakes: Orson Welles, Orson Bean.
ORVILLE: Old French
for "from the golden village" and thought to be
the invention of novelist Fanny Burney in 1779. For the
baby with the right stuff. Relaties: Orvalle, Orval.
Namesakes: Orville Wright, Orville Redenbacher.
OSBERT: Old English
for "inspired" or "divine." Relatives:
Osborn, Osborne, Osmar, Osmond, Osmund, Osted, Ostric,
Osmen, Osman, Ossie. Namesakes: Osbert Sitwell, Donnie and
Marie Osmond, John Osborne.
OSCAR: Old Norse for
"divine spear." The Academy Award, a knight
holding a sword and standing on a reel of film, is called
an Oscar because an actress once remarked the statuette
looked like her uncle Oscar. Relatives: Osgood, Oskar.
Namesakes: Oscar Wilde, Oscar Hammerstein, Oscar de la
Renta, "Oscar the Grouch."
OSWALD: Old English
for "divinely powerful." Relatives: Oswell,
Ossie, Ozzie, Oswald, Oswall, Oswell, Oswaldo. Namesakes:
Ozzie Nelson, Ossie Davis, Lee Harvey Oswald.
OTIS: Greek for
"acute" and Old German for "wealthy."
Relatives: Otto, Odo, Otho, Othello, Otello, Otilio.
Namesakes: Otis Redding, Otis Pike, Otto von Bismarck,
Otto Rank, Otto Preminger.
OWEN: Old Welsh for
"warrior" and Greek for "well born."
This handsome name should be used more often. Reltives:
Owyn, Evan, Ewen, Owens. Namesakes: Owen Wister, Owen
Davis, Jesse Owens, "Owen Meaney."
OXFORD: Old English
for "from where the oxen ford." You can't get
much more academic than this. Relatives: Oxton, Oxon.
Namesake: Oxford University.
OZ: Hebrew for
"strength." This child will certainly be a wiz
at whatever he does. Namesakes: Amos Oz, Frank Oz.
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