French names that start with 'O'

Only a handful of French names that start with the letter ‘O’. Female names starting with this letter include Ophélie, Odette, and Odile, as well as the more recent name Océane. Rarer names include Octavie, Oriane, and a few more more that we’ll cover below.

Two of these French names beginning with ‘O’ have the distinction of appearing in Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Swan Lake. Odette is the white swan and Odile symbolizes the black swan. The story is outlined below.

Some French names that begin with the ‘o’ vowel sound are spelled with the letter combination ‘au’. These include girl names like Aurélie, Aurore, and Aude, as well as boy names like Aurélien and Augustin.

French girl names that start with ‘O’

• Odette: The French name Odette is featured in Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake”, where Odette is a princess who is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse.
• Océane: Océane is a rather recent French name. It started being used during the second half of the 20th century. It comes from the French word “océan” which means “ocean”.
• Ophélie: Ophélie is the French form of name Ophelia.
• Ophéline
• Odile: Odile is a French name that has Germanic roots. The corresponding German name is Ottilie. While Odile is cast as a villain in Swan Lake, the name has positive associations as well. For instance, Saint Odile is the patron saint of the Alsace, the easternmost region of France which borders Germany.
• Orlane
• Olympe: Olympe is a French name that comes from Ancient Greek via Latin. The name is related to Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece which is featured in Greek mythology as the home of the Greek gods.
• Octavie: Octavie is a French girl’s name that originates from the Latin name Octavia, itself derived from the Latin adjective “octavus” meaning “eighth”. This name has a musical charm, as it shares the same Latin root as the word “octave” which refers to a musical interval spanning eight notes.
• Oriane: (alternate spelling Orianne) There are several hypotheses concerning the origin of the name Oriane. One possibility is that it comes from the word for “gold” which is “or” in French and “aurum” in Latin. Also, Oriane and Auriane are homonyms, meaning that they are different names that are spelled differently but pronounced the same.
• Ombline: Ombline and its variant Ombeline are rare female names.

Odette and Odile

Odette and Odile, two French names that start with the letter ‘O’, are also central characters in Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Swan Lake. Odette is the white swan and Odile’s character symbolizes the black swan. Here’s a summary of the story:

One night, by an enchanted forest lake, Prince Siegfried comes across a group of swans. To his amazement, one of these swans transforms into a beautiful woman named Odette.

The prince learns that an evil sorcerer has cast a spell on Odette, making her a swan during the daytime and letting her regain her human form only at night. The only remedy to the curse is true love —someone loving Odette unconditionally and pledging eternal fidelity to her.

The prince falls deeply in love and decides to marry her. But the sorcerer’s daughter, Odile, tricks him by impersonating Odette. After the wedding proposal, the real Odette arrives and the Prince is horrified as he realizes his mistake.

Different versions exist for the end of the ballet. Some are happy endings while others are tragic endings.

French boy’s names that start with ‘O’

There are relatively few French male names that start with the letter ‘O’. Olivier (the French equivalent of the name Oliver) is the most common of these. The other ones are rather rare.

• Olivier
• Octave
• Odilon

Here are some examples of historical figures with these names:

Individual	Occupation
Olivier Messiaen	French Composer (1908 – 1992)
Octave Mirbeau	French Novelist (1848 – 1917)
Odilon Redon	French Painter (1840 – 1916)

Few French male names start with the letter ‘O’. But many more begin with the sound ‘O’ because in French the letter combination ‘au’ is pronounced the same as ‘O’.

• Aurélien
• Auguste
• Augustin

Another French name that starts with the ‘O’ sound is Honoré (the initial letter ‘h’ is silent). This name is the capitalized form of the French word “honoré” (which means “honored”). The 19th-century French author Honoré de Balzac is a well-known person with this name.