Otto
Otto was given to 1,241 boys in 2025, #277 among boys’ names; 40,015 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 17,000 Americans named Otto and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (43% of everyone recorded); the median is 10 years old and half are between 4 and 37.
Otto came back: it left the boys’ top 1,000 after 1974 and returned in 2011.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Otto by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Otto mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Otto is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the sense “wealth, riches” (*audaz).
Borrowed from German Otto, from Old High German, short form of compound names (such as Otachar, Ottokar) beginning with Proto-West Germanic *aud, from Proto-Germanic *audaz (“wealth, riches”) (cognate of English Ed- in Edgar, Edmund, Edward, Edith, etc.).
/ˈɑtoʊ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Otto?
#277 among boys’ names, 2025
Otto rose from #544 in 2015 to #277 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.27 to 0.73 per 1,000.
1,244 babies in 2024, the peak
Otto peaked in 2024, when 1,244 boys were given it, #274 among boys’ names. The 1,241 births of 2025 are 100% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,241 | #277 | 0.73 |
| 2024 | 1,244 | #274 | 0.72 |
| 2023 | 1,193 | #282 | 0.70 |
| 2022 | 1,082 | #311 | 0.62 |
| 2021 | 975 | #335 | 0.56 |
| 2020 | 792 | #389 | 0.46 |
| 2019 | 719 | #429 | 0.40 |
| 2018 | 707 | #431 | 0.39 |
| 2017 | 617 | #478 | 0.33 |
| 2016 | 560 | #526 | 0.30 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 526 | #544 | 0.27 |
| 2014 | 417 | #630 | 0.22 |
| 2013 | 343 | #697 | 0.18 |
| 2012 | 288 | #789 | 0.15 |
| 2011 | 213 | #936 | 0.11 |
| 2010 | 180 | #1,079 | 0.09 |
| 2009 | 172 | #1,083 | 0.09 |
| 2008 | 136 | #1,282 | 0.07 |
| 2007 | 145 | #1,220 | 0.07 |
| 2006 | 134 | #1,253 | 0.07 |
| 2005 | 127 | #1,251 | 0.06 |
| 2004 | 115 | #1,301 | 0.06 |
| 2003 | 97 | #1,387 | 0.05 |
| 2002 | 91 | #1,428 | 0.05 |
| 2001 | 90 | #1,392 | 0.05 |
| 2000 | 61 | #1,792 | 0.03 |
| 1999 | 65 | #1,647 | 0.03 |
| 1998 | 73 | #1,507 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 51 | #1,849 | 0.03 |
| 1996 | 70 | #1,458 | 0.04 |
| 1995 | 50 | #1,768 | 0.03 |
| 1994 | 62 | #1,521 | 0.03 |
| 1993 | 63 | #1,484 | 0.03 |
| 1992 | 52 | #1,668 | 0.03 |
| 1991 | 51 | #1,639 | 0.03 |
| 1990 | 73 | #1,297 | 0.04 |
| 1989 | 61 | #1,401 | 0.03 |
| 1988 | 67 | #1,254 | 0.04 |
| 1987 | 53 | #1,395 | 0.03 |
| 1986 | 60 | #1,251 | 0.03 |
| 1985 | 62 | #1,204 | 0.03 |
| 1984 | 45 | #1,437 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 56 | #1,233 | 0.03 |
| 1982 | 60 | #1,206 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 57 | #1,220 | 0.03 |
| 1980 | 53 | #1,285 | 0.03 |
| 1979 | 66 | #1,106 | 0.04 |
| 1978 | 60 | #1,143 | 0.04 |
| 1977 | 61 | #1,117 | 0.04 |
| 1976 | 63 | #1,055 | 0.04 |
| 1975 | 65 | #1,026 | 0.04 |
| 1974 | 72 | #967 | 0.05 |
| 1973 | 54 | #1,120 | 0.03 |
| 1972 | 85 | #875 | 0.05 |
| 1971 | 94 | #843 | 0.05 |
| 1970 | 92 | #843 | 0.05 |
| 1969 | 81 | #855 | 0.05 |
| 1968 | 86 | #804 | 0.05 |
| 1967 | 110 | #709 | 0.06 |
| 1966 | 111 | #704 | 0.06 |
| 1965 | 88 | #795 | 0.05 |
| 1964 | 120 | #707 | 0.06 |
| 1963 | 126 | #691 | 0.06 |
| 1962 | 122 | #696 | 0.06 |
| 1961 | 140 | #661 | 0.07 |
| 1960 | 141 | #660 | 0.07 |
| 1959 | 150 | #632 | 0.07 |
| 1958 | 147 | #634 | 0.07 |
| 1957 | 152 | #622 | 0.07 |
| 1956 | 161 | #600 | 0.08 |
| 1955 | 137 | #635 | 0.07 |
| 1954 | 151 | #602 | 0.07 |
| 1953 | 169 | #544 | 0.09 |
| 1952 | 150 | #572 | 0.08 |
| 1951 | 147 | #564 | 0.08 |
| 1950 | 150 | #551 | 0.08 |
| 1949 | 172 | #508 | 0.10 |
| 1948 | 173 | #502 | 0.10 |
| 1947 | 177 | #508 | 0.10 |
| 1946 | 181 | #478 | 0.11 |
| 1945 | 175 | #449 | 0.13 |
| 1944 | 174 | #463 | 0.13 |
| 1943 | 195 | #453 | 0.14 |
| 1942 | 229 | #402 | 0.17 |
| 1941 | 215 | #395 | 0.18 |
| 1940 | 227 | #382 | 0.20 |
| 1939 | 225 | #379 | 0.20 |
| 1938 | 271 | #336 | 0.24 |
| 1937 | 274 | #329 | 0.26 |
| 1936 | 277 | #324 | 0.27 |
| 1935 | 289 | #319 | 0.28 |
| 1934 | 318 | #304 | 0.31 |
| 1933 | 322 | #294 | 0.32 |
| 1932 | 356 | #289 | 0.34 |
| 1931 | 365 | #289 | 0.35 |
| 1930 | 438 | #268 | 0.40 |
| 1929 | 458 | #262 | 0.43 |
| 1928 | 469 | #262 | 0.42 |
| 1927 | 506 | #253 | 0.45 |
| 1926 | 488 | #254 | 0.44 |
| 1925 | 540 | #243 | 0.48 |
| 1924 | 606 | #222 | 0.53 |
| 1923 | 573 | #232 | 0.52 |
| 1922 | 628 | #208 | 0.58 |
| 1921 | 640 | #210 | 0.58 |
| 1920 | 634 | #206 | 0.60 |
| 1919 | 596 | #208 | 0.61 |
| 1918 | 728 | #181 | 0.72 |
| 1917 | 803 | #157 | 0.87 |
| 1916 | 719 | #170 | 0.81 |
| 1915 | 773 | #153 | 0.91 |
| 1914 | 598 | #155 | 0.91 |
| 1913 | 509 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1912 | 398 | #150 | 0.93 |
| 1911 | 228 | #150 | 1.0 |
| 1910 | 200 | #155 | 1.0 |
| 1909 | 180 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1908 | 177 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1907 | 170 | #140 | 1.2 |
| 1906 | 173 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1905 | 172 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1904 | 161 | #132 | 1.3 |
| 1903 | 166 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1902 | 192 | #101 | 1.6 |
| 1901 | 156 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1900 | 199 | #115 | 1.3 |
| 1899 | 174 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 1898 | 259 | #80 | 2.1 |
| 1897 | 234 | #80 | 2.1 |
| 1896 | 250 | #80 | 2.1 |
| 1895 | 283 | #69 | 2.4 |
| 1894 | 270 | #74 | 2.3 |
| 1893 | 257 | #73 | 2.3 |
| 1892 | 275 | #74 | 2.3 |
| 1891 | 274 | #66 | 2.7 |
| 1890 | 267 | #68 | 2.4 |
| 1889 | 309 | #65 | 2.8 |
| 1888 | 312 | #66 | 2.6 |
| 1887 | 253 | #67 | 2.5 |
| 1886 | 270 | #68 | 2.4 |
| 1885 | 263 | #69 | 2.4 |
| 1884 | 288 | #65 | 2.5 |
| 1883 | 240 | #66 | 2.3 |
| 1882 | 252 | #69 | 2.2 |
| 1881 | 221 | #69 | 2.2 |
| 1880 | 271 | #63 | 2.5 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Otto a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Otto has been given almost only to boys: 100 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Otto: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Otto, and how old are they?
17,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 43% of the 40,015 Americans ever recorded as Otto. The median Otto alive today is 10 years old; half are between 4 and 37.
The 2020 Census counted 14,718 people named Otto (38 women and girls, 14,680 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 11,973 born in the U.S. The Census count is 23% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 813 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,860 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,090 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 895 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,010 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 10,300 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Otto born?
The states with the most babies named Otto are California, Ohio and Minnesota, with 21% of its births recorded by state in 2025; Minnesota is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 114 | #319 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 72 | #183 | 0.9× |
| Minnesota | 69 | #93 | 2.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 66 | #193 | 0.7× |
| New York | 64 | #295 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 59 | #549 | 0.7× |
| Michigan | 56 | #189 | 1.2× |
| Wisconsin | 51 | #122 | 1.9× |
| Colorado | 49 | #148 | 0.9× |
| Washington | 46 | #192 | 1.1× |
Where Otto is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Otto is most over-represented in North Dakota: since 1910 it was given 2.7 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Otto with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Otto
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Otto and names like it
- Compare Otto and ArchibaldBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sOtto peaked in 2024.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Otto since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Otto: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2024The year the most babies were named Otto.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Otto alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with OMost given first.