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.
- #577 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #277 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 39,915
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
Otto currently ranks #277 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 #277 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.
- #577 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #277 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 39,915 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Otto ranks #577 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #277 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 39,915 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #577 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #277 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 39,915
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
Otto's 39,915 recorded births place it above 98.73% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Otto compares
39,915 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 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 108x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Otto | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 39,915 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,244 | 34 | 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 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
2020s is the heaviest window (6,527 births, 16% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Otto sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Otto most popular? ▼
Where is Otto most popular? ▼
How long has the name Otto been used? ▼
What names are similar to Otto? ▼
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
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
Compare Otto side by side: Otto vs Ottis Otto vs Ottie Otto vs Ottavio
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Otto
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Otto: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.