Otis: meaning and UK use

What does Otis mean?

Otis came through an English surname connected with the medieval given name Ode and the Otto family. That history is more specific than treating wealthy as a direct translation.

Language or name family covered

English surname name

Meaning or derivation

From a surname related to Ode and Otto

Our browsing group

boy; vintage, modern

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Otis

Pronunciation and related forms

OH-tiss (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Otto. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Otis?

In 2025, 726 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Otis, making it the 71st most popular boys’ name. That is down 4 places on 2024, when it ranked 67th. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 258th, so it has climbed 187 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2024, at 67th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

71st

2025 registrations

726

Best rank in this series

67th (2024)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Otis: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	71	726
2024	67	762
2023	70	784
2022	68	842
2021	81	737
2020	96	612
2019	124	455
2018	192	277
2017	193	281
2016	229	245
2015	258	198
2014	284	164
2013	329	127
2012	349	125
2011	392	100
2010	381	106
2009	416	93
2008	461	77
2007	492	66
2006	469	67
2005	406	74
2004	749	30
2003	746	28
2002	907	19
2001	786	22
2000	881	18
1999	750	22
1998	780	20
1997	788	20
1996	654	24

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 7,121. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Otis

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Albievintage, modern · A short form of Albert
• Archievintage, modern · A short form of Archibald
• Sonnyvintage, modern · From the word son
• Stanleyvintage · Stone clearing
• Aaravmodern · Crying, howling or noise
• Alfievintage · A short form of Alfred

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Otis, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.