Skip to main content

Olympia

Olympia (oh-LIM-pee-uh), which can also be spelled Olimpia or Olympe, is an old European classic that the world should be familiar with, given the title of the Olympic Games. (The actual site of the ancient Olympic games is named Olympia, Greece.) Both the games and the name Olympia are in reference to the Olympian gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. In fact, it is Greek, meaning "from Mount Olympus."

There are a few well known Olympia's out there. Alexander the Great's mother, actress Olympia Dukakis, Senator Olympia Snowe, French playwright and political activist (feminist and abolitionist writing) Olympe de Gouges, and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark (born in 1967). Not to mention several ships, buildings, songs, art, and even an oyster.

Olympia was last seen on the SSA's charts in 1925 at #984. In 2010 there were only 28 baby girls named Olympia (and none with the Olimpia spelling). Talk about an underused classic. It even comes with cute nicknames like Pia, Ollie, and Olympie. More of a stretch but definitely possible: Lily, Lia, or Polly. Also try variations such as Olympiana, Olimpiada, and Olympienne.
Labels:

Comments

  1. eponymiaJanuary 19, 2012 at 11:43 AM

    Love Olympia -- I can never decide if I prefer Olimpia or the "y" spelling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾July 26, 2013 at 12:09 AM

    I love it too. On my list for my next baby

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galician Baby Names

I grew up on a street that was named an Italian variant of Roger. When I got married and we bought our first house, it turned out to be on Roger Street. Once noting that coincidence, I started searching for other variants of the name. However, female variants turned out to be pretty nonexistent. Save for Roxeria, which I later discovered was the Galician female form, possibly pronounced rohz-AIR-ee-uh. That led me to a few lists of female Galician names, ranging from common to rare. Here is a sampling of names not often heard here in the states... Albina Alda Alma Alodia Aloia Amada Amadora Amalia Amparo Anisia Antia Araceli Aranzazu Artemisa Avelina Azucena Baia Balbina Baltasara Beatriz Benvida Berenice Bieita Branca Braulia Caetana Carola Casilda Casimira Ceferina Celsa Cipriana Cira Clorinda Coralia Cornelia Cosima Davinia Delfina Desideria Dionisia Dominga Dorinda Dorotea Dositea Edelmira Edenia Elba Elvira Emiliana Etelvina ...
2 comments
Read more

Elowen

Elowen is a recent Cornish baby name meaning "elm." It may not take off in America like the last Cornish hit, Jennifer, but it's certainly pretty. She's part of a "linguistic revival," as Appellation Mountain puts it  here . Her nickname could be Ellie, Elle or Ella, or a more unusual choice, Wendy. The pronunciation of Elowen is "ell-LOH-en," though most Americans will probably stick with "ELL-oh-wen." Please note that it is not spelled Elowyn. There is a similar name, Eowyn, but if you spell it Elowyn it will no longer be the Cornish name meaning elm tree, just some creative name. Other great Cornish names include Penrose, Chesten (the Cornish form of Christine), Demelza, Denzel, Hammitt, Kerensa/Kerenza, Meraud (very similar to French gem name Emeraude, both meaning emerald, but Meraud is pronounced "meh-row"), Merryn, Morwenna, Tremain, Emblyn, Jory, Massen, Treeve and Cotton. Here's 's a link to a post on Cornish n...
2 comments
Read more

Ancient Germanic Female Deities

Loki and Idun by John Bauer Here is a list of ancient Germanic goddess and personifications. There is some overlap with the goddesses of the Norse pantheon, and I've limited it to those names that I think would wear well today on modern babies. Of the following names, only the following were used in 2016. Sol was given to 91 girls, Ran to 5 girls, Saga to 9 girls, and Beyla to 6 girls. Beyla - as a possible agricultural personification, her name could mean "cow," "bean," or "bee," but she has been associated with bees and mead, so my guess is "bee." However, there's been a proposed connection to the reconstructed Proto-Norse name Baunila, which means "little bean." This is also a Spanish and Italian girls name. Fulla - possibly means "bountiful." Her other name is Volla, which I think is equally accessible as a name. She is a virgin goddess in Old Norse mythology. Gersemi - means "treasure." Sh...
Post a Comment
Read more