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Home › Baby Names Directory › Ouida

Ouida

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Ouida

Pronounced WEE-duh /ˈwiː.də/Medium

Meaning: Ouida comes from the pen name of Victorian novelist Ouida (Maria Louise Rame), which began as her own baby pronunciation of 'Louise'. So it traces, playfully, back to Louise (from Louis, 'famous warrior').Low

In 30 seconds: A literary curiosity: Ouida is the novelist's pen name, born as a baby's try at 'Louise' (said 'WEE-duh'). It peaked around 1924.
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Origin LowEnglish, French
MeaningOuida comes from the pen name of Victorian novelist Ouida (Maria Louise Rame), which began as her own baby pronunciation of 'Louise'. So it traces, playfully, back to Louise (from Louis, 'famous warrior').
U.S. rank (1995)#12919 ↘ Falling
1995 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1924
Total births (all-time)≈ 4,886

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192418871995

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ouida takes its name from the hugely popular Victorian novelist Ouida (Maria Louise Rame), whose pen name was her own toddler pronunciation of Louise (from Louis, 'famous warrior'). Fans borrowed it as a given name, and it peaked around 1924. Always uncommon, it soon faded (said 'WEE-duh').

The name grew very rare after the 1920s. It reads today as a bookish antique with a charming backstory. Literary, Louise-rooted, and uncommon.

Did you know? Ouida was the pen name of Victorian bestselling novelist Ouida, and it started as her own childhood mispronunciation of Louise; as a given name it peaked for American girls around 1924.
Overall data confidence 50%
References — Ouida — Pen name of novelist Ouida; child's pronunciation of Louise

Variations

WidaLouiseOuidah

Nicknames

WeeIda

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Ouida…

Louise— the name Ouida playfully traces from
Ola— a like short antique feminine
Veda— a like -da ending vintage name
Oleta— a like uncommon early-century pick

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Ouida mean?

Ouida comes from the novelist's pen name, which began as a child's pronunciation of Louise (from Louis, 'famous warrior').

How do you pronounce Ouida?

It's said WEE-duh /ˈwiː.də/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ouida a boy or girl name?

Ouida is a girl's name, from the Victorian novelist Ouida.

Is Ouida making a comeback?

It stays very rare, remembered mainly as a literary name of the past.

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