2000
#9,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,066
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Ottinger
A German occupational surname referring to a person who raised or herded otters for their pelts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,186 Americans carry the last name Ottinger. That puts it at #10,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ottinger surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,581
Census rank
#10,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,778 bearers of the surname Ottinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ottinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ottinger
The surname Ottinger is of German origin, and it first emerged in the region of Bavaria during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German words "otto" and "ing," which translate to "prosperity" and "people or descendants," respectively. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was prosperous or came from a prosperous family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ottinger can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Reichenbacensis, a manuscript from the 12th century that contains records of property transactions in the region around Regensburg, Bavaria. In this document, a man named Ottinger is listed as a witness to a land transfer in the year 1166.
In the 13th century, the name Ottinger appeared in various legal documents and records throughout Bavaria. For example, a man named Heinrich Ottinger was mentioned in a court record from the city of Augsburg in 1274. This suggests that the name had become well-established in the region by this time.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Ottinger name continued to spread throughout southern Germany. In 1412, a man named Konrad Ottinger was listed as a citizen of the city of Nuremberg, which was a major center of trade and commerce during this period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Germany can be found in the records of the Dutch East India Company. In 1628, a man named Jan Ottinger was listed as a sailor on one of the company's ships, indicating that the name had begun to spread to other parts of Europe by this time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Ottinger. One of the most famous was Johann Ottinger (1564-1621), a German composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Elector of Saxony. Another notable Ottinger was Johann Baptist Ottinger (1737-1813), a Bavarian architect who designed several churches and palaces in the region around Munich.
Other notable individuals with the Ottinger surname include:
- Georg Ottinger (1599-1669), a German mathematician and astronomer who published several works on celestial mechanics.
- Wilhelm Ottinger (1859-1932), a German politician who served as the Mayor of Munich from 1900 to 1919.
- Albert Ottinger (1892-1965), a German actor and film director who appeared in several popular movies during the early 20th century.
Overall, the Ottinger surname has a long and rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany. While it originated in the region of Bavaria, the name has since spread throughout Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration and success of individuals who have borne this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ottinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ottinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ottinger bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ottinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,548
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 103
- Two or more races3.3% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ottinger
Ottinger appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,112
+46 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 623 places
2020
#10,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,778
-334 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 602 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,729 | 3,066 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,352 | 3,112 | 1.05 | +46 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 623 places |
| 2020 | #10,954 | 2,778 | 0.93 | -334 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 602 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ottinger surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,352 | #10,954 | -5.8% |
| Count | 3,112 | 2,778 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.93 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ottinger bearers went from 3,112 to 2,778 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 602 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,352 to #10,954.
FAQ
Ottinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ottinger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,186 living Americans carry the surname Ottinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,581 residents.
How common is Ottinger?
Ottinger ranks #10,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,778 people with the surname Ottinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ottinger.
Has Ottinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ottinger went from 3,112 recorded bearers to 2,778. That is a decrease of 334 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,352 to #10,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Ottinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ottinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ottinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,548 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ottinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ottinger (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ottinger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who raised or herded otters for their pelts. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ottinger (0.93 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ottinger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.