Othan
An Arabic masculine name meaning "origin" or "beginning".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Othan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Othan today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Othan births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Othan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Othan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,645
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Othan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Othan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Othan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Othan
The name Othan is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic language, with its roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "otho," which means "prosperous" or "wealthy." The name's earliest known spelling was "Othan," but it has also been recorded as "Othon" or "Otho" in various historical documents.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Othan can be found in the Frankish Chronicles, which mention an Othan, a nobleman who lived in the 6th century. In the 9th century, an Othan was recorded as a Benedictine monk and scholar in the monastery of St. Gall, in present-day Switzerland.
In the 11th century, Othan de Châtillon was a prominent figure in the First Crusade, serving as a knight and military leader under Godfrey of Bouillon. He is mentioned in several chronicles of the time, including the Gesta Francorum and the Historia Hierosolymitana.
During the Renaissance, Othan Ariosto (1474-1539) was an Italian poet and literary figure from Ferrara. He was a member of the renowned Ariosto family and is known for his contributions to the development of Italian vernacular poetry.
In the 18th century, Othan Miller (1701-1783) was a German-born American physician and botanist. He is considered one of the pioneers of American botany and is credited with introducing several plant species to the American colonies.
Another notable figure named Othan was Othan Abbott (1766-1852), an American lawyer and politician from New Hampshire. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and was actively involved in the early political landscape of the United States.
While the name Othan has ancient roots and has been borne by notable individuals throughout history, it is relatively rare in modern times, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, it continues to be used in some regions with Germanic cultural influences, carrying on the legacy of its rich historical and linguistic heritage.
People
Othan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Othan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Othan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Othan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Othan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Othan a common name?
We classify Othan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Othan most popular?
The single biggest year for Othan was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Othan is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Othan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Othan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Othan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Othan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Othan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Othan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Othan as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.