Ottmers last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ottmers

A Germanic surname derived from a place name containing the elements "ott" meaning forest and "mer" meaning lake.

Ottmers, 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 Ottmers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ottmers in America

Ottmers is the 82613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ottmers surname appeared 228 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 Ottmers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ottmers 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 82613 81414 1.46%
Count 228 216 5.41%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.08 0.00%

The history of the last name Ottmers

The surname Ottmers is of German origin, originating in the regions of northern Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German words "ott" meaning "prosperity" and "mer" meaning "famous," suggesting that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who had achieved notable success or renown.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ottmers can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions an individual named Henricus Ottmers, a merchant and landowner in the region.

During the 15th century, the name appeared in various legal and ecclesiastical records in the towns of Lübeck and Hamburg, such as the Lübecker Oberstadtbuch, which documented the activities of prominent citizens and officials. Notable individuals bearing the name during this time included Johann Ottmers, a respected alderman in Lübeck, who lived from 1422 to 1489.

In the 16th century, the Ottmers family gained prominence in the city of Bremen, where they held influential positions in trade and civic affairs. Hans Ottmers (1501-1572) was a respected merchant and member of the Bremen city council, while his son, Gerhard Ottmers (1528-1598), served as the mayor of Bremen from 1580 to 1598.

As the Ottmers family spread across northern Germany, the name also appeared in various forms, including Othmers, Othmars, and Ottmayer, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable individual from this time was Johann Ottmers (1597-1672), a Lutheran theologian and author from Hamburg, who wrote several influential works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, the Ottmers name gained recognition in the field of academia and science. Johann Friedrich Ottmers (1719-1798) was a renowned German astronomer and mathematician, who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.

Throughout its history, the surname Ottmers has been associated with individuals who have achieved success and prominence in various fields, reflecting the meaning of its origins. While the name may not have the same widespread recognition as some other German surnames, it holds a rich and distinguished legacy rooted in the cultural and historical fabric of northern Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ottmers

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

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 Ottmers was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.49% 220
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.19% 5
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Ottmers has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.49% 97.22% -0.75%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 2.19% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Ottmers last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ottmers-surname-popularity/.

"Ottmers last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ottmers-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Ottmers last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ottmers-surname-popularity/.

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