Boys' name · peaked in 1889
Otto name popularity since 1925
24,338 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Otto. Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Otto is about 25 years old in 2026. Otto peaked in 1889 as the #65 name for boys, and it ranked #277 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 24,338
- Named Otto, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1889
- #65 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #277
- for boys in 2025 (1,241 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% boys
- 24 girls · 24,314 boys
- Most popular in
- Minnesota
- 2.74× its national share
Peak year is the year Otto made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Otto births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2024. Measured as a share of all babies, Otto peaked earlier, in 1889.
- Steepest fall: Between 1938 and 1943, Otto's share of baby boys fell by 44%, from 1 in 4,090 to 1 in 7,320.
- Fastest rise: Between 2010 and 2015, it became 2.9× more common, from 1 in 10,700 baby boys to 1 in 3,640.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Otto's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Otto.
Decade by decade
Babies named Otto in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 24 | 2,461 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 3,135 | #319 |
| 1940s | 0 | 1,918 | #449 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,514 | #636 |
| 1960s | 0 | 1,125 | #795 |
| 1970s | 0 | 712 | #1,026 |
| 1980s | 0 | 574 | #1,205 |
| 1990s | 0 | 610 | #1,773 |
| 2000s | 0 | 1,168 | #1,252 |
| 2010s | 0 | 4,570 | #544 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 6,527 | #277 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
42.8% of babies named Otto from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Otto is most popular
The index compares Otto's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Otto.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 2.74× | 1,011 |
| Wisconsin | 2.46× | 979 |
| Oregon | 1.70× | 322 |
| Missouri | 1.67× | 735 |
| Washington | 1.50× | 506 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Otto's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Otto.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Otto (1889).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data