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

Ott, 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 Ott surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ott in America

Ott is the 1373rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ott surname appeared 25,738 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Ott.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ott 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 Ott

The surname Ott originated in Germany, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ot" or "od," meaning "fortune" or "prosperity." The name was likely given to someone who was prosperous or fortunate.

In the Middle Ages, the Ott surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Early variations of the spelling included Otte, Othe, and Otte. The name can also be traced back to the Low German word "ot," meaning "ancestor" or "forefather."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ott surname can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Augsburg, which mentions a certain "Heinrich Ott." Another notable early bearer of the name was Konrad Ott, a German soldier who fought in the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century.

The Ott surname has a long history in various parts of Germany. In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Johann Ott (1507-1573) was a Lutheran theologian and reformer who worked alongside Martin Luther. Another notable Ott was Johann Baptist Ott (1661-1736), a German Baroque painter and architect active in Bavaria.

In the 19th century, the Ott name gained prominence in the field of science. Karl Ott (1836-1900) was a German chemist and inventor who developed a process for manufacturing artificial indigo dye. His contemporary, Johann Ott (1844-1924), was a German-American botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant morphology and anatomy.

One of the most famous bearers of the Ott surname was the German philosopher and sociologist Georg Ott (1908-1994), who was best known for his work on the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Another notable figure was the German-American physicist Hermann Ott (1928-2021), who made important contributions to the field of nuclear physics and worked on the Manhattan Project.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ott

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

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

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

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