Otto
Masculine · “wealth”
Otto is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 39,915 boys against 100 girls since 1880.
Otto is a short name with a long reach: it was borne by four Holy Roman Emperors, beginning with Otto I, crowned in 962, and it has been written the same four ways round ever since — a palindrome that reads identically forwards and backwards. Two beats, two hard t's, and no spelling argument in sight.
How old is the name Otto?
Otto was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Otto alive today was born around 1936, making them about 89 years old. About 17,500 people named Otto are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Otto most popular?
Otto peaked in 1880, reaching #63 nationally. Today it ranks #277, 214 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Otto appears on these lists:
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Palindrome names: the same in the mirror
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Names with only one spelling
- Names with a double letter
- all guides
Works in Scandinavian families too:
Where it comes from
From Audo to Otto
The story of Otto
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. German-speaking families carried it to the United States in the nineteenth century, where it settled comfortably into the Midwest and beyond. It has been in continuous use for well over a thousand years, which very few two-syllable names can claim.
Meaning
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.
How the name formed
- Audo
- Odo
- Otto
- Ottone
Related forms: Otto · Ottone · Otón · Odon · Ottó · Ota
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Otto
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 20251,241 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #63reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- +14.7%1,241 in 2025, from 1,082
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Otto in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Otto in German — same name
- Ottone in Italian — related form
- Otón in Spanish — related form
- Odon in French — related form
- Ottó in Hungarian — spelling variant
- Ota in Czech — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Minnesota, Ohio.
Ottos among us
people named Otto are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 1,376 born in 2025 was named Otto
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Otto is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Otto is headed
Otto looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 22% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Otto beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Otto in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- Short enough that no nickname is required, and it pairs cleanly with longer surnames.
- 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.
- There is no real alternative form to retreat to — a child who dislikes Otto has little to shorten or lengthen it into.
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What they receive
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Otto
Masculine · #277 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ottos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 17,500 people named Otto are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Otto in 2025?
- Otto ranks #277 among US boy names in 2025, with 1,241 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Otto?
- About 1 in every 1,376 US boys born in 2025 was named Otto — 1,241 in all.
- Will my child share the name Otto with classmates?
- Otto will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Otto
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Shiloh#278 · Benson#279 · Maximus#275 · Bodie#275 · Javier#274 · Maximiliano#280 · Eric#273 · Atticus#281
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Otto? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Otto and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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