Explore the Family Name Otis
The meaning of Otis
English: variant of Oates. This name is very common in America, but now rare in Britain. History: John Otis emigrated from England in 1631 to Hingham, MA; he had many prominent descendants. His great grandson, James Otis (1725–83), was a Boston lawyer who played a major role in the development of opposition to the British crown and the establishment of the Fourth Amendment. Another descendant was Elisha Graves Otis (1811–61), inventor of the elevator, who was born on his father’s farm at Halifax, Windham County, VT.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Otis in the United States?
The surname Otis, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, showed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 4338 out of all surnames, but dropped to 4699 in 2010. This represents an approximate 8.32% decrease in rank. The total count also fell by around 0.4%, from 7579 in 2000 to 7549 in 2010. Accordingly, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 decreased by about 8.9%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,338 | #4,699 | -8.32% |
| Count | 7,579 | 7,549 | -0.4% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.81 | 2.56 | -8.9% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Otis
On the ethnicity front, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts. Although the majority of individuals with the surname Otis still identified as White (74.47% in 2010, down from 77.15% in 2000), there were increases in other ethnic identities. Notably, the percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased significantly by 43.1%, although they still make up less than 1% of all Otises. There was also a noticeable increase among those identifying as Hispanic (up 28.77%) and Black (up 7.55%). The percentage of Otises identifying as two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native also increased.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 77.15% | 74.47% | -3.47% |
| Black | 17.87% | 19.22% | 7.55% |
| Hispanic | 2.19% | 2.82% | 28.77% |
| Two or More Races | 1.68% | 2.01% | 19.64% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.58% | 0.83% | 43.1% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.54% | 0.64% | 18.52% |
Otis ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Otis is British & Irish, which comprises 47.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.4%) and Eastern European (4.8%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Greek & Balkan, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 47.7% |
| French & German | 25.4% |
| Eastern European | 4.8% |
| Other | 22.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Otis
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Otis have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 83.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 83.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 83.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.30% |
What Otis haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Otis is I-BY332, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-BY332 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-M222 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Volz, Bender, Meyer, Coleman, Miller, Smith, Mueller, Beck, Weber, Bowers.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Otis surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Otis have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Otis" Surname 50.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Otis" Surname 34.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Otis" Surname 25.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Otis" Surname 17.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Otis?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Otis are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition