Odelia

אוֹדֶלְיָּה

• Gender: Female
• Origin: Jew-ish
• Meaning: I will thank God

• Odelia has roots that wind through several languages, but in Hebrew it can be interpreted as "I will thank God," giving it a beautiful undercurrent of gratitude. The name has a melodic, vintage quality that creates a musical rhythm rarely found in shorter, trendier picks. It is the kind of name that sounds like it belongs in a period novel, carrying an air of quiet sophistication.

  Israeli actress Odelya Halevi, who plays ADA Samantha Maroun on "Law & Order," grew up in a Yemenite Jewish family and served in the Israel Defense Forces before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting. If the current wave of ornate, feminine name revivals has you swooning, this one belongs on your shortlist. It carries the grandeur of Cordelia or Ophelia but with a note of Jewish gratitude at its core. Four syllables of pure music — enchanting on a child, distinguished on a grown woman.

• Alternate Spellings: Odelya, Odeliah, Odeleya, Odilia
• Potential Sibling Name:
  Livia
  ,
  Mila
  ,
  Maksim
  ,
  Zeved
• Theme: God