Ophelia is a beautiful and increasingly popular girl name with Shakespearean credentials, but is Ophelia also a biblical name? The short answer is no—there's no woman called Ophelia in the Bible. But, the word "Ophel" crops up in Scripture several times.
So what exactly is this Ophel?
Found in the Old Testament, Ophel refers to a location within Jerusalem, often linked with the city's fortifications.
In the Second Book of Chronicles, Ophel is introduced to the reader in the context of King Jotham's building activities: "Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel" (verse 27:3).
A little later in the same book, Ophel is mentioned again, this time in the context of King Manassehs's rebuilding of Jerusalem: "Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher" (verse 33:14).
The biblical place name Ophel also makes several appearances in the Book of Nehemiah, always in the context of "the hill of Ophel" or "the wall of Ophel" (verses 3:26, 3:27, 11:21).
So, while the name Ophelia is not in the Bible, the very similar Ophel is mentioned several times in the Old Testament.
Could you say baby Ophelia's name was inspired by the biblical place Ophel? You sure could—but be aware that most people are more likely to think of the character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet when they hear the name Ophelia.
If you're looking for a Bible-inspired girl name ending in -ia, you might do better with a name like Lydia, Julia or—if you prefer something more unsusual—Junia.