boys' name ★ peaked 2024

Otto

Meaning wealth, riches Gender Boy Rank 2025 #277 Trend ↑ Rising 72%

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…

Rank 2025
#277
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,241
named Otto
How common
1 in 1,376
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
1,244 babies
All-time total
40,015
#577 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Otto popularity over time

40,015 babies have been named Otto 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
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 2,679 2,679 268 – #63
1890s 16 2,543 2,559 256 -4% #66
1900s – 1,746 1,746 175 -32% #101
1910s 41 5,552 5,593 559 +220% #146
1920s 43 5,542 5,585 559 0% #206
1930s – 3,135 3,135 314 -44% #268
1940s – 1,918 1,918 192 -39% #382
1950s – 1,514 1,514 151 -21% #545
1960s – 1,125 1,125 113 -26% #661
1970s – 712 712 71 -37% #843
1980s – 574 574 57 -19% #1,205
1990s – 610 610 61 +6% #1,302
2000s – 1,168 1,168 117 +91% #1,083
2010s – 4,570 4,570 457 +291% #429
2020s (to 2025) – 6,527 6,527 1,088 +138% #274

Where Otto 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 1,355 0.79 #256
2027 1,460 0.85 #242
2028 1,555 0.91 #228
2029 1,642 0.96 #217
2030 1,718 1.01 #206

Where Otto is most popular

Boys named Otto per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.664 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

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 Otto 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
North Dakota 69 4.04 +509%
Minnesota 361 2.94 +343%
South Dakota 53 2.85 +329%
Montana 44 2.49 +276%
Wisconsin 266 2.25 +238%
Nebraska 95 2.18 +229%
Maine 39 2.01 +203%
Iowa 127 1.84 +177%
Rhode Island 28 1.72 +159%
New Hampshire 37 1.67 +151%
Oregon 120 1.58 +138%
Colorado 185 1.43 +116%
District of Columbia 21 1.42 +114%
Utah 132 1.38 +108%
Missouri 183 1.32 +99%
Kansas 89 1.30 +95%
Washington 209 1.28 +92%
Alaska 15 1.26 +90%
Idaho 50 1.22 +84%
Ohio 313 1.18 +78%
Michigan 239 1.17 +76%
Connecticut 69 1.02 +53%
Pennsylvania 262 0.987 +49%
Massachusetts 134 0.974 +47%
Indiana 155 0.967 +46%
Vermont 6 0.955 +44%
Wyoming 5 0.864 +30%
Hawaii 13 0.837 +26%
Illinois 194 0.759 +14%
Nevada 42 0.737 +11%
Maryland 81 0.679 ≈ national
Arizona 102 0.623 -6%
Oklahoma 55 0.622 -6%
New York 259 0.598 -10%
Virginia 104 0.548 -17%
California 494 0.540 -19%
New Jersey 101 0.502 -24%
Kentucky 50 0.498 -25%
South Carolina 48 0.464 -30%
Delaware 7 0.462 -30%
North Carolina 111 0.435 -35%
Tennessee 76 0.421 -37%
West Virginia 12 0.368 -45%
Florida 172 0.363 -45%
Arkansas 22 0.348 -48%
Texas 282 0.320 -52%
Georgia 75 0.296 -55%
Louisiana 18 0.176 -73%
Alabama 15 0.137 -79%
Mississippi – – –
New Mexico – – –

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 Otto

Otto is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #277 in 2025 with 1,241 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 40,015 American babies have been named Otto. Its peak came in 2024, when 1,244 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Otto stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Otto?

The median living Otto is about 9 years old; half are between 3 and 42. An estimated 18 thousand people named Otto are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

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

Otto 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 – – 1,241 #277
2024 – – 1,244 #274
2023 – – 1,193 #282
2022 – – 1,082 #311
2021 – – 975 #335
2020 – – 792 #389
2019 – – 719 #429
2018 – – 707 #431
2017 – – 617 #478
2016 – – 560 #526
2015 – – 526 #544
2014 – – 417 #630
2013 – – 343 #697
2012 – – 288 #789
2011 – – 213 #936
2010 – – 180 #1,079
2009 – – 172 #1,083
2008 – – 136 #1,282
2007 – – 145 #1,220
2006 – – 134 #1,253
2005 – – 127 #1,252
2004 – – 115 #1,303
2003 – – 97 #1,388
2002 – – 91 #1,431
2001 – – 90 #1,396
2000 – – 61 #1,796
1995 – – 50 #1,773
1990 – – 73 #1,302
1985 – – 62 #1,205
1980 – – 53 #1,285
1975 – – 65 #1,026
1970 – – 92 #843
1965 – – 88 #795
1960 – – 141 #661
1955 – – 137 #636
1950 – – 150 #552
1945 – – 175 #449
1940 – – 227 #382
1935 – – 289 #319
1930 – – 438 #268
1925 7 #4,338 540 #243
1920 6 #4,843 634 #206
1915 6 #4,148 773 #153
1910 – – 200 #155
1905 – – 172 #125
1900 – – 199 #115
1895 – – 283 #69
1890 – – 267 #68
1885 – – 263 #69
1880 – – 271 #63

Famous people named Otto

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

  1. 1 Otto von Bismarck Otto von Bismarck Chancellor of Germany from 1871 to 1890 1815–1898 · 19th century
  2. 2 Otto Skorzeny Otto Skorzeny Austrian Waffen-SS officer (1908–1975) Contemporary
  3. 3 Otto Frank Otto Frank Father of Anne Frank (1889–1980) 19th century
  4. 4 Otto von Habsburg Otto von Habsburg Heir to the Austrian throne (1912–2011) Contemporary
  5. 5 Otto of Greece Otto of Greece King of Greece from 1832 to 1862 1815–1867 · 19th century
  6. 6 Otto Hahn Otto Hahn German nuclear chemist and Nobel laureate (1879–1968) 19th century
  7. 7 Otto Günsche Otto Günsche Personal adjutant of Adolf Hitler (1917–2003) Contemporary
  8. 8 Otto Strasser Otto Strasser German politician (1897–1974) 19th century
  9. 9 Otto Ohlendorf Otto Ohlendorf German SS officer and Holocaust perpetrator (1907–1951) Contemporary
  10. 10 Otto Dix Otto Dix German painter and printmaker (1891–1969) 19th century
  11. 11 Otto Heinrich Warburg Otto Heinrich Warburg German physiologist and Nobel laureate (1883–1970) 19th century
  12. 12 Otto Rehhagel Otto Rehhagel German football player and manager (born 1938) Contemporary
  13. 13 Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor Holy Roman Emperor from 996 to 1002 980–1002 · Medieval
  14. 14 Otto Kretschmer Otto Kretschmer German naval officer (1912–1998) Contemporary
  15. 15 Otto Weininger Otto Weininger Austrian philosopher (1880–1903) 19th century
  16. 16 Otto Carius Otto Carius German tank commander 1922–2015 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor Holy Roman Emperor from 973 to 983 955–983 · Medieval
  18. 18 Otto Lilienthal Otto Lilienthal German aviation pioneer (1848–1896) 19th century
  19. 19 Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 to 1218 1175–1218 · Medieval
  20. 20 Otto Grotewohl Otto Grotewohl German politician (1894–1964) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Otto?

The median living Otto is about 9 years old. Half of all living Ottos are between 3 and 42 years old.

How many people named Otto are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Otto are alive in the United States, based on 40,015 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Otto mean?

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,…

How popular is the name Otto in 2025?

Otto ranked #277 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,241 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Otto?

40,015 babies have been named Otto in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Otto most popular?

Otto peaked in 2024, when 1,244 newborns received the name.

Is Otto a boy or girl name?

Otto is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Otto rising or falling?

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

Will Otto become more popular?

Otto is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,718 boys named Otto in 2030, which would rank around #206. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Otto?

Well-known people named Otto include Otto von Bismarck (politician), Otto Skorzeny (military personnel), Otto Frank (businessperson).

Names like Otto

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

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