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

Oto, 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 Oto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oto in America

Oto is the 59470th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oto surname appeared 340 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 Oto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oto 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 Oto

The surname "Oto" is believed to have originated in Spain, with roots tracing back to the 9th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Spanish word "otero," which referred to a small hill or elevated land. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided in hilly or mountainous regions of the Iberian Peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Oto" can be found in the Cartulario de Valpuesta, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of Valpuesta in Burgos, Spain, dating back to the 10th century. This document mentions individuals with variations of the name, such as "Otone" and "Otoni."

In the 12th century, the name "Oto" appeared in the Becerro Galicano, an ancient manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This manuscript contains land ownership records and mentions several individuals with the surname "Oto" or similar variations.

One notable bearer of the name "Oto" was Fernán Oto, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He served as a knight and participated in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign by Christian rulers to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish control.

Another historical figure with the surname "Oto" was Juan Oto de Arteaga, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador. He was part of the expeditions that explored and colonized parts of present-day Mexico and Central America in the early years of the Spanish conquest of the Americas.

In the 17th century, Pedro Oto y Acuña was a Spanish playwright and poet who gained recognition for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was born in Madrid in 1602 and is known for his religious plays and poems.

During the 18th century, Sebastián Oto y Vázquez was a renowned Spanish architect who designed several notable buildings and churches in Madrid and other parts of Spain. He was born in 1715 and is particularly known for his work on the Church of San Marcos in Madrid.

In the 19th century, Mariano Oto y Arellano was a prominent Spanish politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament, and played a significant role in the political and legal affairs of the country during that period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oto

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

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

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

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