Otilla
A feminine given name of Germanic origin, possibly meaning "wealthy fighter."
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Otilla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Otilla today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Otilla births was 1890 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Otilla. 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 Otilla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1890
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#5,593
Tracked since 1890
Popularity
Otilla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Otilla from the 1890s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Otilla 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 Otilla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Otilla
The given name Otilla originated from the Germanic languages, deriving its roots from the Old High German word "otil," meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy." Its earliest known usage can be traced back to the 9th century AD, primarily within the Germanic regions of central and western Europe.
Otilla is a feminine form of the masculine name Otilo, which was prevalent among the Frankish and Alemannic tribes of the early medieval period. The name's popularity spread throughout the Holy Roman Empire, particularly in areas now known as Germany, France, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Otilla was a Benedictine abbess who lived in the 9th century. She was the founder and first abbess of the Monastery of Hohenburg in present-day Alsace, France, and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
In the 11th century, Otilla of Hohenburg, a German noblewoman from the House of Welf, was a prominent figure who served as the Abbess of Quedlinburg Abbey in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the Holy Roman Empire during her time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Otilla of Hochfelden, a 12th-century German noblewoman and the first abbess of the Augustinian convent in Hochfelden, Alsace, France. She was known for her piety and charitable works.
In the 13th century, Otilla of Helfenstein, a German noblewoman from the House of Helfenstein, served as the Abbess of the Imperial Abbey of Quedlinburg from 1252 to 1278. She was an influential figure in the ecclesiastical and political spheres of her time.
Otilla of Katzenelnbogen, born in the late 13th century, was a German countess and the wife of Count Eberhard II of Katzenelnbogen. She played a significant role in the administration of the County of Katzenelnbogen during her husband's absence.
While the name Otilla has its roots in the Germanic regions, its usage has spread across various cultures and languages over time, particularly in Central and Western Europe. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name in modern times.
People
Otilla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Otilla 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
Otilla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Otilla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Otilla 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 Otilla a common name?
We classify Otilla 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, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Otilla most popular?
The single biggest year for Otilla was 1890, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Otilla 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 Otilla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Otilla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Otilla in the SSA data are female. 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 Otilla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Otilla 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 Otilla 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 common is the name Otilla?
See how many people share the name Otilla on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.