Head to head · Boys' names
Omar vs Otto
#260 vs #277 in 2025
Omar is a whisker ahead (#260 vs #277 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Omar is holding its place on the charts, Otto is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Otto has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Omar leads 3 measures of 6; Otto leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Omar #550, Otto #67 — Otto higher
- 1890s: Omar #571, Otto #76 — Otto higher
- 1900s: Omar #753, Otto #125 — Otto higher
- 1910s: Omar #655, Otto #162 — Otto higher
- 1920s: Omar #721, Otto #235 — Otto higher
- 1930s: Omar #889, Otto #313 — Otto higher
- 1940s: Omar #963, Otto #453 — Otto higher
- 1950s: Omar #850, Otto #595 — Otto higher
- 1960s: Omar #605, Otto #726 — Omar higher
- 1970s: Omar #245, Otto #1004 — Omar higher
- 1980s: Omar #188, Otto #1277 — Omar higher
- 1990s: Omar #146, Otto #1577 — Omar higher
- 2000s: Omar #144, Otto #1333 — Omar higher
- 2010s: Omar #214, Otto #652 — Omar higher
- 2020s: Omar #258, Otto #311 — Omar higher
Otto stood higher in 8 of 15 decades; Omar has held the lead since the 1960s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Omar | Otto |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #550 | #67 |
| 1890s | #571 | #76 |
| 1900s | #753 | #125 |
| 1910s | #655 | #162 |
| 1920s | #721 | #235 |
| 1930s | #889 | #313 |
| 1940s | #963 | #453 |
| 1950s | #850 | #595 |
| 1960s | #605 | #726 |
| 1970s | #245 | #1004 |
| 1980s | #188 | #1277 |
| 1990s | #146 | #1577 |
| 2000s | #144 | #1333 |
| 2010s | #214 | #652 |
| 2020s | #258 | #311 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Omar
flourishing, long-lived
The Arabic name ʿUmar comes from the root ʿ-m-r, which carries ideas of life, long life, and thriving habitation. A separate and much rarer Omar appears in Genesis as a grandson of Esau; that Hebrew name's meaning has never been established, and it is not the source of the modern name.
ʿUmar (Arabic) → Umar → Omar
How it traveled
Omar is the English and Spanish spelling of the Arabic ʿUmar. Its standing in the Muslim world rests largely on ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph, who ruled in the seventh century — since then it has been among the most-given names from Morocco to Indonesia.
Otto
wealth, fortune, inheritance
From the Germanic element aud- (also seen as ot-, od-), meaning riches or inherited property. Otto began as a pet form of longer names built on that element, such as Otfrid and Otmar.
Audo → Odo → Otto → Ottone
How it traveled
Otto grew out of the Old High German element aud-, "wealth" or "inheritance", first as an affectionate clipping of longer compound names and then as a full name in its own right. It became one of the great names of medieval Germany, worn by Otto I and the emperors who followed him, and spread from there across Central and Northern Europe.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Omar
OH-mar
The standard American pronunciation stresses the first syllable. In Arabic it is closer to OO-mar, with the stress falling differently and an opening consonant English does not have; Spanish speakers often say oh-MAR. All are correct in their own settings, and families usually pick one and let the other pass.
- O — An initial used informally among friends and teammates; not a name anyone is registered under.
- Omi — A family-level diminutive heard in some Arabic- and Spanish-speaking households; rarely used outside the home.
- Momo — A playful reshaping used within families and friend groups, more common among children than adults.
Otto
AH-toh
In American English the first vowel is usually the broad ah of "father"; German speakers say a shorter, crisper OT-toh with both t's sounded. Both are recognized everywhere.
- Otto — Already a short form historically — most families use the full name in every register, formal and informal alike.
- Otti — Informal German-style diminutive, occasionally spelled Ottie in English.
- Ott — Clipped further; also exists independently as a surname.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Omar if you want…
- a name most people already know#260 in 2025, 1,333 babies that year
- a name holding steadyOmar is holding its place on the charts
Choose Otto if you want…
- a name fewer children share#277 in 2025 — otto will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name on the way upup 112 places on the charts in five years
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Omar
Strengths
- Spelled the way it is said in English, with no silent letters and no fork in the road between two common spellings.
- Works unaltered in Arabic-, Spanish-, and English-speaking settings, which matters in households that live in more than one of them.
- On US records continuously across generations rather than arriving in a single wave, so it reads as neither dated nor new.
To consider
- There is no established short form. Omar is what he will be called at home, at school, and at work — fine for many families, but worth knowing if you like having a nickname in reserve.
- Because of ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, the name carries strong Sunni associations and is given far less often in Shia families. If that distinction matters in your family, it is worth talking through early.
- Expect a lifetime of small pronunciation negotiations: OH-mar, oh-MAR, and the Arabic ʿUmar are all in circulation, and people will guess based on their own background.
Otto
Strengths
- Four letters, one obvious spelling, and the same reading in English, German, Italian, Finnish and Swedish.
- A palindrome — it looks the same written forwards or backwards, which children notice early and enjoy.
- Over a thousand years of unbroken use, including four Holy Roman Emperors, so it is old without being unfamiliar.
To consider
- In American English, Otto and "auto" sound close to identical. Most people never remark on it, but expect the occasional joke about cars.
- It is still strongly represented among the oldest generations, so some people will hear it as a grandfather's name before they hear it as a baby's.
- The name is closely tied to German history, which is part of its appeal for some families and a consideration for others.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Omar and Otto in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Omar and Otto?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Omar and Otto — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Omar or Otto — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Omar or Otto?
- Omar, in 2025: Omar ranked #260 with 1,333 babies; Otto ranked #277 with 1,241 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Omar or Otto?
- Otto. Over the last five years Omar moved down 6 places; Otto moved up 112 places.
- Which is the older name, Omar or Otto?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Omar and Otto?
- About 101,000 people named Omar are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 17,500 people named Otto are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Omars or Ottos in the classroom?
- Omar will almost certainly be the only one in school. Otto will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Omar, Otto and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap