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

Otterson, 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 Otterson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Otterson in America

Otterson is the 21360th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Otterson surname appeared 1,226 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 Otterson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Otterson 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 Otterson

The surname Otterson is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "otr" meaning otter and "sunu" meaning son. It is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name resided in an area inhabited by otters, likely near a river or stream.

The surname first appeared in the late 12th century in various forms such as Otressone and Otresun. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, which mention a William Otresune in 1195.

During the 13th century, the name can be found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which list a Richard Otersone in 1273. The Otterson spelling, as we know it today, emerged around this time and was used interchangeably with variations like Otresone and Otreson.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, where a John Oterson is listed in 1379. Another notable figure from this time was Thomas Otterson, a landowner and freeman of the City of York, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1392.

During the 16th century, the Otterson surname gained prominence in various parts of England. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Robert Otterson, a merchant from London who was mentioned in the city's records in 1512. Another notable bearer of this name was William Otterson, a clergyman and scholar who served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham from 1573 to 1596.

In the 17th century, the Otterson surname can be found in various parish registers and historical documents. One notable figure was John Otterson, a member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London, who was born in 1632 and died in 1698.

As the surname spread across England, it also appeared in various place names. For example, there is an Otterson Farm in Leicestershire, which likely derived its name from an early bearer of the Otterson surname who resided in the area.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Otterson surname. These include James Otterson (1806-1878), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Barclay in Hertfordshire; William Otterson (1834-1891), a British engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of the steam engine; and Emily Otterson (1868-1942), an American suffragist and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Otterson

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Otterson, 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!