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

Ottum, 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 Ottum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ottum in America

Ottum is the 56972nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ottum surname appeared 358 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 Ottum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ottum 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 Ottum

The surname Ottum is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. This name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "otto," which means "wealthy" or "prosperous." It was likely used as a descriptive surname for someone who was considered affluent or well-off within their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ottum can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Quedlinburgensis, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century, which mentions an individual named "Ottum de Brunsvic" (Ottum of Brunswick). This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in the region of Brunswick, located in present-day Lower Saxony, Germany.

The Ottum surname also appears in the Wörterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen (Dictionary of German Family Names), a comprehensive reference work on German surnames published in the late 19th century. This indicates that the name had become well-established in various parts of Germany by that period.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Ottum include:

1. Heinrich Ottum (c. 1520-1585), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer from Lübeck.
2. Johannes Ottum (1578-1642), a German jurist and legal scholar from Rostock.
3. Wilhelm Ottum (1640-1717), a German composer and organist from Lüneburg.
4. Christoph Ottum (1701-1776), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
5. Johann Friedrich Ottum (1770-1834), a German philosopher and educator from Heidelberg.

While the name Ottum is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a long and fascinating history that spans several centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it has been associated with various individuals from different walks of life throughout the years.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ottum

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

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

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

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