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

Otieno, 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 Otieno surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Otieno in America

Otieno is the 46138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Otieno surname appeared 462 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 Otieno.

We can also compare 2010 data for Otieno 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 Otieno

The surname OTIENO originates from the Luo ethnic group in western Kenya, whose language belongs to the Nilotic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. The name is derived from the Luo word "otieno," which means "born in the evening."

OTIENO is a common surname among the Luo people, who have a long and rich cultural history dating back centuries. The name can be traced back to the early days of the Luo migration from the Nile Valley region to their current homeland in western Kenya.

Historical records and oral traditions suggest that the OTIENO surname first appeared in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Luo people settled in the areas around Lake Victoria. During this period, the surname was likely used to identify individuals born in the evening hours, a significant event in Luo culture.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the OTIENO surname can be found in the writings of Johann Ludwig Krapf, a German missionary who lived among the Luo people in the 19th century. Krapf's accounts mention several individuals with the surname OTIENO, indicating its widespread use at the time.

Throughout history, there have been several notable figures with the surname OTIENO. One of the most prominent was Jaramogi Oginga Odinga (1911-1994), a Kenyan political leader and former vice president who played a significant role in Kenya's struggle for independence from British colonial rule.

Another famous OTIENO was Grace Onyango (1924-2008), a Kenyan politician and women's rights activist who was the first woman to be elected to the Kenyan parliament in 1969. She was a vocal advocate for gender equality and women's empowerment.

In the field of literature, Okot p'Bitek (1919-1982) was a renowned Ugandan poet, writer, and academic who hailed from the Luo community. His works, which explored Luo culture and traditions, are widely regarded as classics of African literature.

Other notable individuals with the OTIENO surname include James Otieno (1949-2012), a Kenyan long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games, and Okoth Otieno (1937-2003), a Kenyan judge and legal scholar who served as Chief Justice of Kenya from 1998 to 2003.

While the OTIENO surname is most prevalent among the Luo people of western Kenya, it has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond due to migration and intermarriage. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the rich cultural heritage of the Luo ethnic group.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Otieno

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

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 Otieno 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 Otieno 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 Otieno was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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