Find out how popular the last name Otaño is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Otaño.

Otaño, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Otaño surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Otaño in America

Otaño is the 31383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Otaño surname appeared 738 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Otaño.

We can also compare 2010 data for Otaño to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Otaño

The surname Otano originated in the Basque Country, a region straddling the western Pyrenees in northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century CE. The name is derived from the Basque word "otano," which means "small wooded valley" or "glen."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Otano can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. The document, dated to the 11th century, mentions an individual named "Otano" who was a landowner in the region.

In the 13th century, there are records of an Otano family residing in the town of Ibarra, located in the present-day province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. This town was known for its iron mining and blacksmithing activities, and it is possible that members of the Otano family were involved in these industries.

During the 16th century, a renowned Basque military leader named Sancho de Otano served under the Spanish Crown. He participated in the Spanish conquest of Mexico and played a crucial role in the conquest of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) alongside Hernán Cortés.

Another notable figure with the surname Otano was José Otano y Olano (1820-1902), a Spanish Catholic priest and writer from the Basque Country. He authored several religious works and was an influential figure in the Catholic Church in Spain during the 19th century.

In the 20th century, Manuel Otano (1909-1983) was a prominent Basque politician and journalist. He was a strong advocate for Basque nationalism and played a significant role in the resistance against the Franco regime during the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship.

While the surname Otano has its roots in the Basque Country, it has since spread to other parts of Spain and beyond, carried by individuals and families who migrated from the region over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Otaño

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Otaño.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Otaño was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Otaño has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Otaño was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Otaño, please contact us.

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