Explore the Family Name Otter
The meaning of Otter
1. English, German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for an otter hunter, or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling an otter, from Middle English, Middle High German oter, Middle Dutch otter, German Otter ‘otter’. The Jewish surname can be artificial. 2. German: from an ancient Germanic personal name formed with ōd ‘possession’ + hāri ‘army’. 3. English: from the Old Norse personal name Óttarr (from ótti ‘fear, dread’), which could be Anglicized in Old English as Ohthere. Some characteristic forenames: German Horst, Johannes, Kurt, Monika, Otto, Wilhelm.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Otter in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Otter" has seen a slight fluctuation in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 20,041st most popular surname, which slightly dropped to being the 20,076th most common in 2010 - a minor decrease of 0.17%. However, the total count of individuals with this surname grew from 1,238 to 1,331 during the same period, an increase of 7.51%. Despite this rise in numbers, the proportion of people with the "Otter" surname per 100,000 population saw a decrease of 2.17% between 2000 and 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #20,041 | #20,076 | -0.17% |
| Count | 1,238 | 1,331 | 7.51% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.46 | 0.45 | -2.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Otter
The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also provides insight into the ethnicity of those bearing the "Otter" surname. In 2000, the majority of individuals identified as White (94.51%), followed by Black (1.70%) and Hispanic (1.53%). By 2010, while the percentage of people who identified as White had slightly decreased to 92.79%, there were noticeable increases in other ethnic identities. The percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic rose to 2.10%, an increase of 37.25%, and those identifying with two or more races increased by 85.71% to 1.95%. During this decade, some individuals also started identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native, both groups representing approximately 1% of the "Otter" surname population.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.51% | 92.79% | -1.82% |
| Hispanic | 1.53% | 2.1% | 37.25% |
| Two or More Races | 1.05% | 1.95% | 85.71% |
| Black | 1.7% | 1.35% | -20.59% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.98% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.83% | 0% |