Othella
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Othello.
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the first name Othella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Othella today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Othella births was 1921 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Othella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Othella is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Othellas were born before 1958.
People living today
127
~ 1 in 2,698,853 Americans
Peak year
1921
34 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1973 SSA rank
#9,366
Tracked since 1889
Census
Othella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 225 people with the first name Othella, which placed it at #35,641 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#35,641
National first-name rank
People counted
225
225 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
69.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Othella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Othella is Black at 69.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Othella described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Othella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.8% · 157
- White26.2% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Popularity
Othella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Othella from the 1880s through to the 1970s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 227 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Othella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Othella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Othellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Othella, while Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Othella
The given name Othella is believed to have its origins in the medieval Italian language, derived from the Germanic name Othalric, composed of the elements "othala" meaning "wealth" or "inheritance" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "power". This suggests Othella may have initially been a name bestowed upon individuals of noble or privileged birth.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the name Othella were found across parts of Europe, particularly in Italy and Germany. It was sometimes spelled as Othello, Otella, or Othilia, reflecting regional linguistic variations. The name's association with wealth and power may have contributed to its adoption by aristocratic families during this period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Othella can be found in the writings of the Italian Renaissance author and playwright, William Shakespeare. In his famous tragedy "Othello," the titular character, a Moorish general in the Venetian army, bears this name. Although Shakespeare's play was written around 1603, it is set in a much earlier time period and highlights the name's potential antiquity.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Othella. One such figure was Othella Amelia Harrington (1868-1937), an American educator and author who played a significant role in the establishment of kindergarten education in the United States. Another was Othella Dallas Tonso (1893-1974), a renowned American sculptor known for her works depicting Native American subjects.
In the realm of literature, Othella Paronto (1876-1949) was an Italian writer and poet who made significant contributions to the Futurist movement in the early 20th century. Othella Hendrix (1904-1953), on the other hand, was a celebrated African American blues singer and songwriter during the 1920s and 1930s, known for her powerful vocal style.
Lastly, Othella Harrington (1927-2020) was an American civil rights activist and educator who dedicated her life to promoting racial equality and desegregation in the United States. Her tireless efforts and advocacy played a crucial role in advancing the civil rights movement.
While the name Othella may have its roots in the medieval period, its usage and popularity have ebbed and flowed throughout history, with various individuals leaving their mark across different fields and disciplines.
People
Othella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Othella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Othella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Othella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 127 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Othella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,698,853 US residents.
Is Othella a common name?
We classify Othella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 708 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Othella most popular?
The single biggest year for Othella was 1921, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Othella is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Othella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 225 people with the name Othella, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,641 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Othella in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Othella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Othella leans strongly female. 208 people counted with this name were female (92.4%), compared with 17 male bearers (7.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Othella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Othella is Black at 69.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Othella most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Othella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (157 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Othella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Othella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Othella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Othella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Othella in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Othella can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Othella?
Want to know how many people share the name Othella? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.