Other
Different or distinct from the ones mentioned; remaining.
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Other. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Other today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Other births was 1916 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Other. 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
- • The typical person named Other is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Others were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Other. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1916
15 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1935 SSA rank
#3,179
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Other: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Other from the 1900s through to the 1930s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 81 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Other remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Other 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 Other during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Others live
Origin
Meaning and history of Other
The name Other has its origins in the Old English word "oþer," which meant "the second of two." This term can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic root "*an-thar-az," derived from the Proto-Indo-European "*an-ter-os," meaning "the other one" or "different." The name was initially used to distinguish between two individuals or entities.
In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the name Other was occasionally bestowed upon children, particularly when families had multiple offspring of the same gender. It served as a way to differentiate between siblings, with one child being referred to as the "other" in comparison to the firstborn.
There are no known instances of the name Other appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, historical records from medieval England provide some of the earliest documented examples of individuals bearing this name.
One notable figure was Other the Red, a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon noble who played a significant role in the political affairs of the Kingdom of Wessex during the reign of King Edward the Elder (c. 870-924). Another early bearer of the name was Other of Mercia, a prominent landowner and military commander who served under King Canute the Great (c. 995-1035) in the 11th century.
In the 12th century, a Benedictine monk named Other of Evesham (c. 1120-1190) gained recognition for his scholarly work on monastic history and his contributions to the Evesham Abbey in Worcestershire, England.
During the Tudor period, Other Cromwell (c. 1516-1585), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament, made a name for himself as a staunch Protestant and supporter of the English Reformation under King Henry VIII.
In more recent times, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Other Boleyn (c. 1475-1543), the sister of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. Other played a significant role in the intrigue and power struggles of the Tudor court, and her life has been the subject of numerous historical novels and adaptations.
While the name Other may have fallen out of widespread use in modern times, its historical significance and unique origins serve as a reminder of the rich tapestry of naming traditions within English culture and language.
People
Other + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Other 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
Other: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Other?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Other 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 1 in 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Other a common name?
We classify Other as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 190 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Other most popular?
The single biggest year for Other was 1916, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Other is about 94 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 Other in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Other a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Other 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 Other still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Other 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 Other 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 are named Other?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.