boys' name ★ peaked 1920

Otis

Meaning en (English) Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #652 Trend ↑ Rising 14%

A patronymic surname derived from Lua error in Module:etymology/templates at line 71: Language 'en (English)' does not match the L2 header (Translingual).

Rank 2025
#652
among boys · ↑81 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
422
named Otis · +18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,048
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1920
1,056 babies
All-time total
61,969
#444 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Otis popularity over time

61,969 babies have been named Otis since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 5 1,006 1,011 101 – #121
1890s 31 1,349 1,380 138 +36% #94
1900s 72 1,966 2,038 204 +48% #99
1910s 148 6,963 7,111 711 +249% #109
1920s 199 9,352 9,551 955 +34% #146
1930s 130 7,456 7,586 759 -21% #172
1940s 111 7,654 7,765 777 +2% #195
1950s 74 7,285 7,359 736 -5% #221
1960s 81 4,955 5,036 504 -32% #326
1970s 36 3,553 3,589 359 -29% #367
1980s – 2,237 2,237 224 -38% #492
1990s – 1,367 1,367 137 -39% #699
2000s – 1,028 1,028 103 -25% #1,189
2010s – 2,414 2,414 241 +135% #706
2020s (to 2025) – 2,497 2,497 416 +72% #615

Where Otis is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 434 0.25 outside top 500
2027 444 0.26 outside top 500
2028 453 0.27 outside top 500
2029 461 0.27 outside top 500
2030 467 0.27 outside top 500

Where Otis is most popular

Boys named Otis per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.241 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Montana, and Oregon.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Otis born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 19 3.03 +1154%
Montana 15 0.851 +252%
Oregon 57 0.751 +211%
Colorado 85 0.659 +173%
Washington 100 0.611 +153%
Wisconsin 72 0.608 +152%
Minnesota 72 0.587 +143%
Massachusetts 73 0.531 +120%
Utah 41 0.430 +78%
Maine 7 0.361 +50%
Kansas 22 0.321 +33%
Michigan 64 0.312 +30%
California 281 0.307 +27%
Rhode Island 5 0.307 +27%
Indiana 49 0.306 +27%
Missouri 41 0.296 +23%
Illinois 74 0.290 +20%
Kentucky 29 0.289 +20%
Iowa 19 0.276 +14%
Ohio 72 0.272 +13%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 +12%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +11%
New York 116 0.268 +11%
Idaho 10 0.244 ≈ national
Arizona 39 0.238 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 54 0.203 -16%
North Carolina 51 0.200 -17%
Oklahoma 17 0.192 -20%
Connecticut 13 0.192 -20%
Virginia 32 0.169 -30%
Georgia 35 0.138 -43%
Florida 65 0.137 -43%
New Jersey 26 0.129 -46%
Texas 112 0.127 -47%
Louisiana 13 0.127 -47%
Tennessee 21 0.116 -52%
Maryland 13 0.109 -55%
Alabama 11 0.101 -58%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -80%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Otis

Otis is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #652 in 2025 with 422 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 61,969 American babies have been named Otis. Its peak came in 1920, when 1,056 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Otis stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Otis?

The median living Otis is about 58 years old; half are between 34 and 73. An estimated 28 thousand people named Otis are alive in the United States today.

median 58 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Otis year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 422 #652
2024 – – 359 #733
2023 – – 420 #651
2022 – – 456 #615
2021 – – 427 #647
2020 – – 413 #648
2019 – – 351 #706
2018 – – 325 #736
2017 – – 319 #744
2016 – – 324 #752
2015 – – 266 #845
2014 – – 203 #1,010
2013 – – 177 #1,064
2012 – – 183 #1,048
2011 – – 144 #1,217
2010 – – 122 #1,381
2009 – – 131 #1,328
2008 – – 120 #1,412
2007 – – 112 #1,442
2006 – – 107 #1,450
2005 – – 106 #1,408
2004 – – 80 #1,626
2003 – – 78 #1,627
2002 – – 82 #1,527
2001 – – 115 #1,189
2000 – – 97 #1,330
1995 – – 114 #1,050
1990 – – 213 #699
1985 – – 203 #614
1980 – – 296 #492
1975 – – 330 #435
1970 9 #5,691 496 #367
1965 – – 472 #351
1960 9 #4,682 556 #326
1955 12 #3,521 721 #259
1950 11 #3,370 831 #221
1945 11 #2,874 706 #205
1940 6 #4,235 661 #200
1935 13 #2,410 730 #182
1930 15 #2,277 831 #172
1925 14 #2,587 958 #159
1920 25 #1,692 1,031 #146
1915 16 #2,028 901 #141
1910 19 #1,022 285 #109
1905 5 #2,162 216 #99
1900 15 #1,002 212 #110
1895 – – 133 #127
1890 – – 119 #122
1885 – – 89 #152
1880 – – 88 #156

Famous people named Otis

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Otis Redding Otis Redding American singer and songwriter (1941–1967) Contemporary
  2. 2 Otis Blackwell Otis Blackwell American songwriter (1931–2002) Contemporary
  3. 3 Otis Rush Otis Rush American blues singer and guitarist (1934–2018) Contemporary
  4. 4 Otis Spann Otis Spann American blues pianist (c.1924–1970) Contemporary
  5. 5 Otis Davis Otis Davis American sprinter (1932–2024) Contemporary
  6. 6 Otis Harris American sprinter b. 1982 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Otis, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Otis?

The median living Otis is about 58 years old. Half of all living Otiss are between 34 and 73 years old.

How many people named Otis are alive today?

An estimated 28 thousand people named Otis are alive in the United States, based on 61,969 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Otis mean?

A patronymic surname derived from Lua error in Module:etymology/templates at line 71: Language 'en (English)' does not match the L2 header (Translingual).

How popular is the name Otis in 2025?

Otis ranked #652 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 422 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Otis?

61,969 babies have been named Otis in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Otis most popular?

Otis peaked in 1920, when 1,056 newborns received the name.

Is Otis a boy or girl name?

Otis is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Otis rising or falling?

Otis is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Otis become more popular?

Otis is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 467 boys named Otis in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Otis?

Well-known people named Otis include Otis Redding (singer), Otis Blackwell (musician), Otis Rush (musician).

Names like Otis

Names that sound and feel close to Otis: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Otis with similar names → More names starting with O →