Otter
A name derived from the semi-aquatic mammal, the otter.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Otter. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Otter today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Otter births was 2020 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Otter. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Otter with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Otter. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2020
5 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2020 SSA rank
#13,535
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Otter: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Otter 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 Otter during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Otter
The given name Otter has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically Old English and Old Norse. The name is derived from the animal name "otter," which comes from the Proto-Germanic word "otraz." This word is believed to have emerged from the Proto-Indo-European root "ud-ro," meaning "water animal."
In Old English, the word for otter was "otor," while in Old Norse it was "otr." The name Otter likely emerged as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who resembled or had characteristics associated with the otter, such as agility, playfulness, or a connection to water.
While there are no direct historical references to the name Otter in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the use of animal names as personal names was not uncommon in various cultures, particularly in Germanic and Nordic regions. The earliest recorded examples of the name Otter can be found in medieval documents from England and Scandinavia.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Otter was an Anglo-Saxon man named Otter of Melrose, who lived in the 7th century and was a monk at Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Another early bearer of the name was Otter the Black, a Viking warrior and chieftain who lived in the 9th century and is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas.
In the 12th century, there was an English nobleman named Otter of Winchester, who served as a royal chamberlain under King Henry II. In the 13th century, Otter Galliard was a prominent French troubadour and poet from Provence.
A more recent historical figure with the name Otter was Otter Tail Otter Chief, a leader of the Otter Tail Band of Ojibwe people in Minnesota, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He played a significant role in the negotiation of treaties with the United States government.
Throughout history, the name Otter has been used across various cultures and regions, reflecting the widespread presence and cultural significance of the otter animal. While not a common name today, it has left a unique and interesting legacy in the annals of human names.
People
Otter + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Otter 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
Otter: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Otter?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Otter 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Otter a common name?
We classify Otter as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Otter most popular?
The single biggest year for Otter was 2020, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Otter is about 6 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 Otter in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Otter a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Otter 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 Otter still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Otter 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 Otter 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 the name Otter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.