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

Otomo, 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 Otomo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Otomo in America

Otomo is the 118185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Otomo surname appeared 147 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 Otomo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Otomo 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 Otomo

The surname Otomo is of Japanese origin, dating back to the medieval era. It traces its roots to the powerful Otomo clan, a prominent samurai family that ruled over parts of Kyushu and Bungo provinces (present-day Oita Prefecture) during the Muromachi period (1336-1573).

The name Otomo is derived from the Otomo District, an area located in the northern region of Bungo Province. This district was the ancestral homeland of the Otomo clan, and it is believed that the family's name was derived from the place name itself.

Historical records indicate that the Otomo clan rose to prominence in the 14th century under the leadership of Otomo Yoriyoshi, who served as a trusted retainer of the Ashikaga Shogunate. The Otomo clan played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the region, engaging in various conflicts and alliances with other powerful families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Otomo can be found in the "Taiheiki," a historical narrative that chronicles the events of the Nanbokucho period (1336-1392). In this work, the Otomo clan is mentioned in relation to their battles against the Kikuchi clan, another influential family in Kyushu.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Otomo. One of the most famous was Otomo Sorin (1530-1587), a Christian daimyo (feudal lord) who played a crucial role in the introduction of Christianity to Japan. Another prominent figure was Otomo Yoshimune (1558-1615), a skilled military strategist who fought alongside Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Bunroku Campaign (1592-1598) against the Hojo clan.

Other significant individuals with the Otomo surname include Otomo Yoshishige (1504-1550), a powerful daimyo who ruled over Bungo Province, and Otomo Nobuhiro (1589-1664), a samurai and poet who served under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The Otomo surname has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, the Otomo District was sometimes referred to as "Otomo-no-kuni" or "Otomo-no-shiro," reflecting its status as a feudal domain. Additionally, the name has been written using different kanji characters throughout history, reflecting the evolving nature of Japanese writing systems.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Otomo

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!