US rank #730 Boys' name Peak 1920 60,653 births

Otis — #730 US boys' name

60,653 babies named Otis in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s10061890s13491900s19661910s69631920s93521930s74561940s76541950s72851960s49551970s35521980s22371990s13672000s10282010s24122020s2071
#730
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 95% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

15% of everyone ever named Otis was born in this single decade.

1920
Single peak year

1,031 babies were named Otis in 1920 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Otis

The Social Security Administration has registered 60,653 babies named Otis between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Otis currently holds the #730 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1920, when 1,031 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Otis performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 9,352 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Otis shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Georgia, which accounts for 5,297 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Alabama. In total, SSA state-level files list Otis in 48 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Otis in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 60,653 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Otis at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

60,653

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1920

1,031 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#730

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Otis popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1920)
1,031
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
05001,0001,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 88

Otis popularity over time — girls

887 total births recorded since 1889 (Otis as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 887 births
010203040 197619631953194219321922191219021889 5

Otis by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
9,352 births that decade — 15% of Otis's all-time total
1880s10061890s13491900s19661910s69631920s93521930s74561940s76541950s72851960s49551970s35521980s22371990s13672000s10282010s24122020s2071

Otis by state

Where Otis concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Otis
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Georgia
5,297 8.7%
#2 Texas
4,285 7.1%
#3 Alabama
3,570 5.9%
#4 North Carolina
3,287 5.4%
#5 Mississippi
3,258 5.4%
#6 South Carolina
2,737 4.5%
#7 Virginia
2,557 4.2%
#8 Louisiana
2,450 4.0%
Georgia share of Otis's total US births 8.7%
Even split

5,297 of 60,653 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.

Otis appears in 48 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Otis?
60,653 babies have been named Otis since 1880. It currently ranks #730 among boys. The peak year was 1920 with 1,031 births.
When was Otis most popular?
Otis was most popular in the 1920s decade with 9,352 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Otis most popular?
The top states for the name Otis are Georgia (5,297 births), Texas (4,285 births), Alabama (3,570 births).
How long has the name Otis been used?
Otis has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Otis?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Otilio, Otie, Oties. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.