2000
#12,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Otey
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Ótti, meaning "fear, dread" or from a place name meaning "at the ridge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,490 Americans carry the last name Otey. That puts it at #13,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Otey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,652
Census rank
#13,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,171 bearers of the surname Otey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Otey, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Otey
The surname Otey is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "ote" or "ata," which means oats. It suggests that the name was initially used as a nickname for someone who worked with oats or lived near an area where oats were grown.
Otey is an English surname that can be traced back to medieval times. One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it is listed as "Otte."
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Otte," "Otty," and "Otey," in records from counties like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire. This suggests that the name was particularly prevalent in the West Midlands region of England.
During the 16th century, the Otey surname began to appear in parish records across different parts of England. One notable individual from this period was John Otey, who was born in Warwickshire in 1547.
The name Otey has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Oteley in Yorkshire and Otley in Suffolk. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain areas.
In the 17th century, the Otey surname gained prominence with individuals like William Otey, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1623. He was a notable figure in the English Civil War and fought for the Parliamentarian forces.
As the British Empire expanded, the Otey surname spread to other parts of the world. One notable individual was James Otey, who was born in Virginia, United States, in 1800. He was the first Episcopal bishop of Tennessee and played a significant role in the early development of the Episcopal Church in the American South.
Other notable individuals with the Otey surname include:
1. John Otey (1725-1813), a prominent farmer and landowner in Virginia, United States.
2. Samuel Otey (1786-1850), an American politician and lawyer from Virginia.
3. William Otey (1830-1898), an American Confederate soldier and lawyer from Virginia.
4. Edmond Otey (1850-1922), an American lawyer and judge from Tennessee.
The surname Otey has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Ote, Otte, Otty, and Otie, but the modern spelling of Otey has become the most widely accepted form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Otey
Among Census respondents with the surname Otey, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Otey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Otey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.7% · 1,101
- Black or African American39.2% · 851
- Two or more races5.2% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Otey
Otey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,234
+26 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 773 places
2020
#13,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
-63 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,799 | 2,208 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,572 | 2,234 | 0.76 | +26 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 773 places |
| 2020 | #13,406 | 2,171 | 0.73 | -63 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 166 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Otey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,572 | #13,406 | 1.2% |
| Count | 2,234 | 2,171 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.73 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Otey bearers went from 2,234 to 2,171 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,572 to #13,406.
FAQ
Otey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Otey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,490 living Americans carry the surname Otey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,652 residents.
How common is Otey?
Otey ranks #13,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,171 people with the surname Otey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Otey.
Has Otey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Otey went from 2,234 recorded bearers to 2,171. That is a decrease of 63 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,572 to #13,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Otey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Otey, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Otey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.7% (1,101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Otey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.7%), Black (39.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Otey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Otey mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Ótti, meaning "fear, dread" or from a place name meaning "at the ridge." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Otey (0.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Otey?
You can see how many people have the surname Otey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.