Ouija (English)
Where does "Ouija" come from?
The common belief that the name 'Ouija' is a combination of the French 'oui' and German 'ja' for 'yes' is a misconception[1]. In reality, the board provided the name itself when Helen Peters, the sister in law of a company investor, asked it to identify its own identity during a session[1]. It is documented in personal letters that the word was likely derived from the name of a woman appearing in a painting near Peters at the time[1]. Historians speculate that this figure may actually have been named 'Ouida' rather than 'Ouija'[1].
Open questions
- The identification of the woman in the painting as 'Ouida' is based on speculation. [1]
Full etymology tree
- Ouija (English), 'A board, having letters of the alphabet and the words yes and no; used with a planchette during a seance to "communicate" with spirits.'
- influence Ouida (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris