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Baby Name Otto: Vintage Cool

October 21, 2020 By appellationmountain 29 Comments

baby name OttoThe baby name Otto could follow Leo and Milo straight up the popularity charts.

Thanks to Emma for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

FORTUNE

The baby name Otto comes from the Germanic aud, meaning fortune – as in wealth. It evolved from Odo, and it used to occur in lots of compound names, like Otfrid.

But we know this name best as Otto.

PALINDROME

Fun fact: like Hannah – and taco cat – Otto is a palindrome. It’s spelled and pronounced the same forwards and backwards.

KING OTTO

Flip through the history books and you’ll find plenty of rulers who answered to Otto.

It appears in the 600s as the name of a court official. Three Holy Roman Emperors wore the name, along with nineteenth century kings of Greece and Bavaria.

There’s a Saint Otto in the 1100s, known for his efforts as missionary within Pomerania. Others had attempted to forcibly convert the Slavic tribes there; apparently Saint Otto persuaded them instead.

Then there’s Otto von Bismark, in all of his Prussian military regalia. He was appointed by a king, but eventually served an emperor, as his efforts united Germany. A brilliant politician and diplomat, he served as the new nation’s first chancellor from 1871 until 1890, dominating European affairs in the late nineteenth century.

BY THE NUMBERS

It’s not clear if American parents were influenced by the German statesman, but the name did regularly appear in the US Top 100 in the late nineteenth century. It seems more likely that it was simply a traditional German name imported to the US with immigrant families.

However, all things German fell out of favor during the World Wars.

The baby name Otto was already declining in 1914. By 1918, when the war concluded, the name was at #181.

World War II accelerated the trend, but Otto remained in the Top 1000 through 1974.

OTTO MATIC

The 1970s made Otto a punchline. In smash hit comedy Airplane, the autopilot is an inflatable doll called – what else? – Otto. Former fighter pilot Ted Striker will have to step up to save the day.

In 1980, Syracuse University named their new mascot Otto the Orange. (Yup, he’s an orange.)

And in 1988 heist comedy A Fish Called Wanda, Kevin Klein played a villain named Otto West.

We recognized it as a name. But parents didn’t hear the baby name Otto as a serious option for their children. By 1984, just 45 boys were named Otto – an all-time low.

THE COMEBACK

But names go in cycles, and the baby name Otto is no exception.

The letter O has had a good run in recent decades. Just ask Oliver and Oscar, Leo and Arlo.

The baby name Otto fit with offbeat traditional names that parents were ready to rediscover. By 2011, it was back in the Top 1000. It’s climbed steadily, reaching #427 as of 2019.

BIG OTTO

Hit television series Sons of Anarchy includes “Big Otto” Delaney, played by series creator Kurt Delaney.

It’s hard to imagine motorcycle gang members inspiring baby names, but there’s no question the series had an impact: names like Jax, Gemma, and Ezekiel all got a boost from the show.

On a different note, lots of children’s series started to embrace the name. Nickelodeon’s Rocket Power, Cartoon Network’s Time Squad, and PBS Kids’ Odd Squad all gave us more age-appropriate Ottos.

BOY NAMES ENDING WITH O

But the biggest trend that lifted Otto comes down to that o-ending. In 2019, Cairo and Kairo, Tadeo, Niko, Camilo, Leandro, Aldo, Maximo, and Jairo were all fast-risers. The baby name Otto seems downright mainstream in their company.

And yet, it still sits at #427. That makes it a good choice for parents after something with the same traditional vibe as Theo or Max, but looking for a name their son will rarely have to share.

What do you think of the baby name Otto? Can you imagine it catching on?

First published on June 11, 2010, this post was revised and re-published on October 21, 2020.

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Comments

  1. Randy D. Reutzel says

    January 8, 2023 at 9:51 AM

    My grandfather was Otto, born in U.S. but birth certificate written in German (born 1881).

    Reply
  2. Lisa says

    October 22, 2020 at 7:09 PM

    My son’s middle name is Otto, after my grandmother. Otto was her maiden name.

    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    December 1, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    My son is Otto Paul Ernst II. We named him for his great grandfather who was born in 1898 and my Otto was born in 1998. We have used family names for both of our children.

    Reply
  4. steve says

    May 10, 2011 at 5:41 AM

    We named my son Otto Sebastian. Respect for heritage was one reason, are last name being 10 letters VAN ZEVEREN was another, and finally being a raider fan he is named after the legendary Jim OTTO and SEBASTIAN Janakowski. I like EMIL also as it was my great grand fathers name but the wife not so much.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      May 10, 2011 at 8:30 AM

      Otto Sebastian is a great name – just fun to say, and a nice balance of the familiar and current, but not so popular he’ll have to answer to Otto V.

      Though actually, Otto V. is kinda cool …

      Reply
  5. British American says

    June 13, 2010 at 5:10 PM

    Thanks to the link posted today (http://www.nancy.cc/2010/06/07/baby-boy-names-outside-of-the-top-1000/) I spotted Otto just outside the top 1000.
    168 boys were named Otto in the US in 2009. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Julie says

    June 12, 2010 at 4:49 PM

    My mother’s maiden name is Otteson and I’ve toyed with using Otto or actually my ancestor’s name, Otten. I really glad to hear such positive reactions because when I mentioned the name to non-name enthusiasts, they’ve looked at me like I was crazy. Another one to put on the list…

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      June 13, 2010 at 7:09 PM

      Oh that’s a neat connection! I like Otto in general, but for you, I love it!

      Reply
  7. Cleo says

    June 12, 2010 at 12:37 PM

    also… I actually like the Simpsons connotation haha

    Reply
  8. Cleo says

    June 12, 2010 at 12:36 PM

    I LOVE OTTO! Otto and Emil are my top two boys names. Loving the German names.

    Reply
  9. LyndsayJenness says

    June 12, 2010 at 11:46 AM

    I didn’t realize I had an accent, but I’m from California and say auto and Otto exactly the same. I also say Dawn and Don exactly the same.

    I kind of like Otto despite my pronunciation. It’s a family name on my husband’s side so I’ve thought about it. I don’t think it’d go over very well where I live though. I prefer Otis and I’m kind of surprised that is considered more offbeat.

    Reply
  10. Kristine says

    June 11, 2010 at 7:07 PM

    Don’t forget Anne Frank’s father who was named Otto!

    And the cartoon character from Rocket Power, Otto Rocket.

    Reply
  11. Bella says

    June 11, 2010 at 6:36 PM

    I’m too much of a Simpsons fan to take the name Otto seriously. The first thing that came to my head was his quote: ‘My name is Otto. I loooove to get blotto’. Maybe not the kind of association I’d want for my kid.

    Still, it’s a nice sounding name apart from my associations.

    Reply
  12. Coralie says

    June 11, 2010 at 6:22 PM

    I like names that start with O and names that end in O, so I do like Otto! 🙂

    @ Sara: Titus and Otto are perfect together! 🙂

    Reply
  13. shelly ok says

    June 11, 2010 at 5:11 PM

    I like Otto, despite the fact that I had a mean bus driver in kindergarten named Otto. I also read, “A Fish Out of Water” as a kid—one of my favorites, in fact! I think that outweighs the negative connotation.

    I prefer Otis to Otto, though. O names are tough with my last name–which is a bummer because I like many O names for boys.

    Sara—Titus and Otto would be fantastic!!

    I can see it go hipster, but I don’t see it getting overexposed. All in all, I think Otto is great.

    Reply
  14. Sara says

    June 11, 2010 at 4:07 PM

    OH MY! Swoon. Am I really so daring? Titus and Otto – could they be brothers? My grandfather was German after all…

    Reply
    • Jane says

      June 12, 2010 at 12:00 AM

      LOVE that combo, Sara!!

      Reply
      • MJG says

        April 8, 2017 at 10:36 AM

        Funny to read this. We are expecting a child and (should the baby be a boy) we’re debating Otto vs. Titus.

        Reply
  15. SilentOne says

    June 11, 2010 at 3:55 PM

    The name seems sort of doggish to me, but that not be a huge problem seeing how many names are widely used for both people and pets. I think that Otto may be the name of the dog in the Hagar the Horrible comic strip, which could be why I have that impression.

    Reply
    • Joy says

      June 11, 2010 at 5:04 PM

      Right! THAT is where I remember Otto from!

      Reply
  16. Joy says

    June 11, 2010 at 3:33 PM

    Not doing much for me…just sounds like a solid, sturdy name. I’m picturing a wrestler or an English bulldog, along the same lines as Sluggo or Gordo. Just a personal reaction, sorry…

    Reply
  17. British American says

    June 11, 2010 at 2:28 PM

    I like Otto – and Oliver and Oscar too. Must be the letter O.

    The name does have a fishy vibe to me – because of the book ‘ A Fish Out of Water’ that I read as a child and now again to my children. Otto is the name of the pet fish. But that’s not really a problem.

    The name may be slightly more ‘foreign / German’ sounding than I think I could personally pull off – though it would match the origin of Henry’s name too. I doubt my husband would go for it though.

    The ‘Auto’ pronunciation would bug me a bit too, in contrast to my “Ott-oh” accent. 😛

    Reply
  18. Elta says

    June 11, 2010 at 9:15 AM

    Don’t forget the great Otto Preminger! Wasn’t the Kevin Kline character in A Fish Called Wanda named Otto? Whenever I hear Otto, I don’t think of the crazy character but the devilishly handsome Kline. Otto rings for me as very likable and quirky. I think it has shed it’s stuffy Germanic tone.

    Reply
  19. JNE says

    June 11, 2010 at 8:24 AM

    LOVE Otto! Along with Oliver and Oscar (2 of 3 finalist names for our son), Otto made the list. It would be fantastic to hear of more little Ottos!

    Another Otto is The Simpson’s bus driver.

    Reply
    • Jane says

      June 11, 2010 at 11:58 PM

      Isn’t he “Auto”? Or is that just me mis-hearing it with my foreign accent? LOL!

      Reply
      • JNE says

        June 12, 2010 at 3:07 PM

        Nope, he’s called Otto Mann.

        Reply
    • British American says

      June 13, 2010 at 1:41 PM

      I’d always thought he was Auto too. 😛

      Reply
  20. Sebastiane says

    June 11, 2010 at 8:11 AM

    I love Otto. I think Otto is due for a comeback.

    Reply
  21. Jane says

    June 11, 2010 at 6:38 AM

    My son’s middle name is Otto, after my maternal grandfather, also Otto, who was born in Denmark. I am surprised how many people say they love the name, and think it is “cool
    and “trendy” and “hipster”. To me, it’s just my granddad’s name! 🙂

    Reply

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