This list includes 21 Literary girl names that start with O, from “O-Lan” to “Ozma”. These names come from novels, myth, poetry, and fantasy, useful for parents, writers, and readers.
Literary girl names that start with O are female names drawn from fiction, poetry, and myth. They include classics like Ozma, a royal figure from Baum’s Oz books, and modern literary inventions.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Origin, Pronunciation, and Meaning.
Name: The name as it appears in literature, so you can spot exact spellings and variants quickly.
Origin: The author and work, plus language or cultural background, helping you see where each name comes from.
Pronunciation: A simple phonetic respelling so you can say the name confidently and check how it sounds aloud.
Meaning: Etymology or the name’s literary significance, giving context and ideas for symbolic or thematic use.
Literary girl names that start with O
| Name | Pronunciation | Origin (Author/Work; Language) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ophelia | oh-FEEL-yah | William Shakespeare; Hamlet; English (1602) | Greek-rooted name meaning “help” |
| Olivia | oh-LIV-ee-ah | William Shakespeare; Twelfth Night; English (1601) | olive tree (Latin oliva) |
| Olga | OL-gah | Anton Chekhov; Three Sisters; Russian (1901) | holy, blessed (from Old Norse Helga) |
| Ondine | on-DEEN | Jean Giraudoux; Ondine; French (1939) | water-nymph; aquatic spirit |
| Omphale | om-FAY-lee | Ovid; Metamorphoses; Latin (8 AD) | Lydian queen; name tied to mythic centrality |
| Orpah | OR-pah | Hebrew Bible; Book of Ruth; Hebrew (c. 6th–5th century BCE) | biblical Moabite daughter-in-law (literary role) |
| Odette | oh-DET | Marcel Proust; In Search of Lost Time; French (1913–1927) | wealth; diminutive of Oda |
| Odile | oh-DEEL | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; Swan Lake (ballet/libretto); Russian (1877) | wealth; diminutive of Oda |
| Orlando | or-LAN-doh | Virginia Woolf; Orlando; English (1928) | famous land (Italian origin); literary surname usage |
| Olympia | oh-LIMP-ee-ah | E.T.A. Hoffmann; The Sandman; German (1816) | from Mount Olympus; lofty, divine association |
| Oenone | oh-EN-oh-nee | Ovid; Heroides and classical myth; Latin/Greek (1st century AD) | nymph of Mount Ida; Paris’s first love |
| Oriana | oh-ree-AH-nah | Edmund Spenser; The Faerie Queene and Amoretti; English (1590s) | golden or dawn-related; exalted poetic name |
| Ottoline | OT-oh-LEEN | Chris Riddell; Ottoline (children’s series); English (2007) | invented diminutive; playful literary coinage |
| Olwen | OL-wen | Anonymous; Culhwch and Olwen (Mabinogion); Welsh (medieval, c. 11th–13th century) | white footprint; fair-footed (Welsh elements) |
| Orla | OR-lah | Medieval Irish annals and sagas; Old Irish (medieval) | golden princess (Órlaith: “golden ruler”) |
| Olanna | oh-LAH-nah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Half of a Yellow Sun; English (2006) | Igbo feminine name; central literary heroine |
| Oksana | ok-SAH-nah | Nikolai Gogol; Taras Bulba; Russian/Ukrainian (1835) | Ukrainian form related to Xenia; hospitable |
| Octavia | ock-TAY-vee-ah | William Shakespeare; Antony and Cleopatra; English (1606) | eighth-born; Roman family name turned given name |
| Ozma | OZ-mah | L. Frank Baum; The Marvelous Land of Oz; English (1904) | invented royal name tied to Oz |
| O-Lan | oh-LAHN | Pearl S. Buck; The Good Earth; English (1931) | Chinese name; often linked to “orchid” or lotus imagery |
| Oona | OO-nah | Margarita Montimore; Oona Out of Order (novel); English (2018) | Irish form related to Una; “unity” or “one” |
Descriptions
Ophelia
Shakespeare’s tragic young noblewoman whose madness and drowning inspired centuries of art, music, and literary baby-name interest.
Olivia
Shakespeare’s intelligent, noble lady in Twelfth Night; popularized as a graceful, classical-sounding name.
Olga
Eldest sister in Chekhov’s play; serious, responsible character and a lasting Slavic literary name.
Ondine
A mythical water-woman who falls for a human in Giraudoux’s play; romantic and watery, often used in arts and ballet.
Omphale
Queen who famously enslaved Heracles in classical myth; a striking classical name with rich mythic associations.
Orpah
Naomi’s daughter-in-law who returns to Moab in Ruth; a biblical female name with a distinctive sound.
Odette
Proust’s charming Odette de Crécy appears across the novel cycle; also famous as the Swan Lake heroine name.
Odile
The seductive “Black Swan” foil to Odette in ballet and adaptations—evocative of duality and performance.
Orlando
Woolf’s gender-shifting protagonist who becomes female; a landmark novel about identity, time, and biography.
Olympia
The eerie automaton admired for beauty in Hoffmann’s tale; suggests grandeur and classical drama.
Oenone
A tragic nymph in classical poetry, emblematic of abandoned love and mythic sorrow.
Oriana
Elizabethan poetic name used to honor Queen Elizabeth I; romantic and Renaissance-flavored.
Ottoline
Title heroine of Riddell’s illustrated children’s books; whimsical, bookish name with modern literary roots.
Olwen
Heroine of Welsh myth pursued by Culhwch; poetic, Celtic name with ancient storybook pedigree.
Orla
Historic and saga-attested Irish name borne by queens and heroines in medieval literature and annals.
Olanna
Complex protagonist in Adichie’s Biafra-set novel; modern African literary name with emotional depth.
Oksana
Gogol’s tragic romantic heroine in a Cossack tale; a well-known Slavic literary name.
Octavia
Roman noblewoman in Shakespeare’s drama; dignified classical name with historical-literary weight.
Ozma
Magical princess and rightful ruler of Oz; a whimsical, fantasy-name classic from American children’s literature.
O-Lan
Stoic, hardworking wife in Buck’s novel; powerful depiction of rural Chinese womanhood in literature.
Oona
Title time‑slip heroine in a contemporary novel; modern literary use of a Celtic-rooted name.