Odette

Photo courtesy of Merrifield Phototgraphy

"On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, seven swans-a-swimming"

As much as I love the idea of Swan as a name, I thought I'd take a detour from the bird names on this one. So instead I have for you a name that many people immediately associate with a white swan.

Odette is the main character in the Tchiachovsky ballet 'Swan Lake'. She is a princess who was turned into a white swan by an evil sorcerer, doomed to remain a swan during the day and only return to human form at night. Only true love can save this Swan Queen and her followers (fellow humans afflicted with the same curse), but the path to true love proves rocky and ultimately both she and her suitor die so they can be together eternally.

Pronounced oh-DEHT, Odette has French and Old German origins and means wealthy. She was quite popular in France in the 1900's to 1930's, which is why many famous Odettes are French. It's much rarer to see it used these days, both in France and the U.S, but it still retains that feeling of French chic and mystique.

For better or worse, it also seems that the name Odette is inextricably linked to swans. The 1994 animated movie 'The Swan Princess' (based on 'Swan Lake') and it's several sequels also used Odette as the name of the main princess character. She also has literary connections as Odette de Crecy, the wife of Charles Swann in Proust's 'A la Recherche du Temps Perdu'.

This association has had quite an influence on people's impression of the name Odette. Many people describe the name Odette as romantic, strong, graceful, peaceful, beautiful, elegant and feminine.

However Odette doesn't strike all people this way, mainly because of its' sound. It reminds some people of dead or death, some of odour, some of the dog Odie from the 'Garfield' comics, odd, the term OD (for overdose), the word debt, or owe debt, or even old debt, and all are possible sources of teasing. And others will say they just don't see the appeal, that it seems aged.

I tend to think of Odette as a prettily timeless name though. If you're of a similar mind and aren't deterred by the several possible sound associations, you will find that an Odette would also receive plenty of compliments on their name. And if you feel Odette might be a bit on the "fancy" side for a cheeky little girl to wear, a cute and spunky nickname is a possibility. Detty, Dottie, Ettie, Etta are all fun options. Or maybe you could even call her your little swan.

Giselle

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Giselle is a name that oozes femininity in my eyes. Like the gazelle that it sounds so similar to, it seems sleek, elegant, yet quite exotic. And the fact that there is a gorgeous Brazilian model with this name does nothing to distract from that image!

Although quite a French sounding name, Giselle (pronounced jiz-ELLE) actually has Old German roots, coming from the word "gisil". It means 'hostage or pledge'. This may not sound overly appealing, but needs to be considered in it's original context. In the middle ages, warring parties would sometimes offer a person (often a child) to the other party as a symbol of their pledge of peace. This helps to dispel some of the negativity around the 'hostage' connotation, when you think of it in terms of being a promise of a better way of living.

Giselle entered the US top 1000 in 1983, peaking just short of the top 100. It's easy to see why, especially when you consider some of the great nicknames it conjures up, such as Gigi, Zelle or the ever popular Ella. Just be aware that Jiz is also a possible nickname, one that could be the cause of much teasing if you live in a country like Australia where it's a slang term for - well, um - male ejaculation, to put it nicely.

Besides Victorian Secret model Gisele Bundchen, you may also recognise Giselle as the name of a ballet. The ballet 'Giselle' was inspired by a poem by Heinrich Heine and is the story of a peasant girl (Giselle) who loves dancing. She falls in love with nobleman who is disguised as a peasant, only to die of a broken heart when she discovers he is already engaged to a noblewoman. She later rises from the grave to protect him from a nasty death, forgiving him in the process.

The story and the name Giselle are also familiar to little girls through the Barbie movie 'Barbie in the Pink Shoes', where Barbie is transported into the magical "Ballet World". Further adding to the magical princess vibe of this name is the character  Princess Giselle, played by Amy Adams in the 2007 movie 'Enchanted'.

Giselle is a beautiful name. If you want something similar but a little rarer, Gisella or Gisette are other possibilities. But I personally prefer Giselle for it's balance and grace. Or maybe this could be the next Grace - evoking the impression of Grace without being an actual virtue name. It all adds up to one gorgeously feminine name.