Total births
39,915
Boys' name · since 1880
Otto
Otto has 39,915 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2024 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #274
- among boys today
- 39,915
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Otto currently ranks #274 among boys' names in America, with 39,915 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Otto recorded 39,915 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #274 nationally today, ahead of 98% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #274 among boys today
- 39,915 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Otto is currently the #274 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 39,915 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #274
- among boys today
- 39,915
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Otto vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#274
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
2020s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Otto was born in this single decade.
2024
Single peak year
1,244 babies were named Otto in 2024 - its busiest year on record.
How Otto compares
39,915 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Otto's all-time total is 109x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Otto | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 39,915 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,244 | 23 | 22,252 |
Otto's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Otto's full recorded timeline at 1953, 41% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 59% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1984, with just 45 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2024 peak of 1,244 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Otto at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2024
Current rank
#274
Active since
1880
Otto popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 1,244
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Otto popularity over time - girls
100 total births recorded since 1891 (Otto as girls' name)
Otto by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Otto's strongest decade.
6,527 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Otto births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
2,679 births
- 1890s 2,543
1890s
2,543 births
- 1900s 1,746
1900s
1,746 births
- 1910s
1910s
5,552 births
- 1920s
1920s
5,542 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,135 births
- 1940s 1,918
1940s
1,918 births
- 1950s 1,514
1950s
1,514 births
- 1960s 1,125
1960s
1,125 births
- 1970s 712
1970s
712 births
- 1980s 574
1980s
574 births
- 1990s 610
1990s
610 births
- 2000s 1,168
2000s
1,168 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,570 births
- 2020s
2020s
6,527 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 6,527 births (16% of all-time use).
How Otto compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Otto's total volume
Otto vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Otto by state
Where Otto concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 2,625 | 6.6% |
| #2 | California | | 2,180 | 5.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 2,097 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Texas | | 1,841 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 1,446 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Wisconsin | | 1,415 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,413 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 1,382 | 3.5% |
New York share of Otto's total US births 6.6%
Even split
2,625 of 39,915 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Otto appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Otto? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 39,915 babies named Otto. Today it holds rank #274 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2024, with 1,244 births.
When was Otto most popular? ▼
Otto was most popular in the 2020s decade with 6,527 total births. The single peak year was 2024.
Where is Otto most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Otto are New York (2,625 births), California (2,180 births), Illinois (2,097 births).
How long has the name Otto been used? ▼
Records for Otto go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Otto? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ottis, Ottie, Ottavio, Ott, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Otto's data
- New York records the most Ottos (2,625 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Otto
Nearby Names Like Otto
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Otto
Ottis Boy
#6205 4,473 births
Ottie Boy
609 births
Ottavio Boy
#11033 95 births
Ott Boy
84 births
Ottoniel Boy
22 births
Compare Otto side by side: Otto vs Ottis Otto vs Ottie Otto vs Ottavio
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Otto
Ellis #273
50,403 births · Peak 2025
Phoenix #275
24,571 births · Peak 2020
Cade #272
34,772 births · Peak 2001
Atticus #276
18,322 births · Peak 2021
Walter #271
631,172 births · Peak 1918
Colt #277
27,869 births · Peak 2019
Emerson #270
33,521 births · Peak 2025
Israel #278
71,237 births · Peak 2007
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Otto: #274 Boys' Name - 39,915 Births, Peak 2024." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/otto. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Otto draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.