2000
#1,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,001
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.16
Uncommon Last name
Otto
A surname of German origin, derived from the given name Otto or Audo, meaning "wealth" or "fortune."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,157 Americans carry the last name Otto. That puts it at #1,595 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Otto surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Otto with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,625
Census rank
#1,595
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,938 bearers of the surname Otto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1595th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Otto, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Otto
The surname OTTO is of Germanic origin and can be traced back to the medieval period in parts of central and northern Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Old German personal name Odo or Odo, which means "wealthy" or "prosperous."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OTTO can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and estates in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as Odo, Ode, and Otho, indicating its widespread use across different regions.
In the 12th century, the name gained prominence with Otto I, also known as Otto the Great (912-973), who was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor in 962. His reign marked a significant period in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, and his descendants continued to use the name, solidifying its association with nobility and power.
Another notable figure bearing the surname OTTO was the German philosopher and mathematician Otto von Guericke (1602-1686), best known for his pioneering work on vacuum and atmospheric pressure. His experiments with the famous Magdeburg hemispheres demonstrated the power of air pressure and contributed significantly to the field of physics.
In the literary world, Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck (1815-1898), known as the Iron Chancellor, was a prominent German statesman who played a crucial role in the unification of Germany in the 19th century. His political acumen and diplomatic skills earned him a lasting legacy as one of the most influential figures in European history.
The OTTO surname also has a strong association with the arts, with individuals like Otto Dix (1891-1969), a renowned German painter and printmaker known for his brutal depictions of the aftermath of World War I. His works, often classified as part of the New Objectivity movement, provided a stark and unflinching portrayal of the human condition during that era.
Throughout history, the surname OTTO has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Ottonville, Ottonia, and Ottenheim, reflecting the geographic spread and evolution of the name across different regions and languages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Otto
Among Census respondents with the surname Otto, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Otto bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Otto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 19,648
- Two or more races3.3% · 719
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 664
- Black or African American2.0% · 441
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 358
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 108
Timeline
Historical Census data for Otto
Otto appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,558
+557 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 7.65
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#1,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,938
-620 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 7.34
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,483 | 22,001 | 8.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,587 | 22,558 | 7.65 | +557 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #1,595 | 21,938 | 7.34 | -620 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 8 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Otto surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,587 | #1,595 | -0.5% |
| Count | 22,558 | 21,938 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.65 | 7.34 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Otto bearers went from 22,558 to 21,938 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,587 to #1,595.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Otto
FAQ
Otto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Otto?
Name Census estimates that about 25,157 living Americans carry the surname Otto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,625 residents.
How common is Otto?
Otto ranks #1,595 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,938 people with the surname Otto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Otto.
Has Otto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Otto went from 22,558 recorded bearers to 21,938. That is a decrease of 620 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,587 to #1,595.
What does the Census say about the background of Otto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Otto, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Otto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (19,648 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Otto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Otto (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Otto mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the given name Otto or Audo, meaning "wealth" or "fortune." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Otto (7.34 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Otto?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.