The Otis surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,549 people carried this name — #4,699 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 39,100 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (7,579).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Otis surname

A surname transferred from the given name, notably of the American revolutionary hero James Otis and the innovator and industrialist Elisha Otis.

A patronymic surname derived from Middle English genitive case of the Germanic given name Ote, Ode, cognate to modern Otto.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Otis» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

70 families named Otis, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 395 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 25
Connecticut 15
New Hampshire 13
Vermont 6
Maine 5
Rhode Island 3
New York 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 256 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Otis in American newspapers,
1908–1919.

Newspaper page from The Wenatchee Daily World carrying the name Otis
The Wenatchee Daily World 1908-10-29
Newspaper page from The Leavenworth Echo carrying the name Otis
The Leavenworth Echo 1908-10-23
Newspaper page from Evening Public Ledger carrying the name Otis
Evening Public Ledger 1919-11-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 16,061 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Otis in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

2,518 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Otis. The most, 546, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 961
Queensland 598
Victoria 465
South Australia 197
Western Australia 124
Tasmania 81
ACT (Canberra) 56
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Otis.

Who carried it

People named Otis,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Otis Sr.
    James Otis Sr. 1702–1778 · lawyer
  • John Otis 1585–1657
  • Stephen Otis 1661–1733
  • Joseph Otis 1665–1754
  • Abigail Russell 1687–1774
  • Nathaniel Otis 1690–1739

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Otis,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States907 records

907 records of the Otis name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 261
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 246
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 153
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 131
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 64
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 40
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Sherman Eldridge Otis

    Born 1944; from Mobile, Alabama. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1965 in South Vietnam. Buried at Mobile National Cemetery, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Marvin F. Otis

    Born 1910 in Wyoming. Enlisted 1942 at Portland, Oregon; salesperson. U.S. Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War; died 1995, buried at Eagle Point National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Otis

    Arrived at New York in 1882 aboard the Ferdinand de Lesseps from Cadiz, Malaga, Marseilles, Naples and Palermo, aged 26; farmer. From Paris, Italy; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 907 records for Otis in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada15 records

15 records of the Otis name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Johanna Maria Otis

    Buried in 1997 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 55.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William L. Otis

    Married 1886 in Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Joseph Edward Otis

    Died in service in 1942.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 15 records for Otis in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia8 records

8 records of the Otis name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 4
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Emma Otis

    Arrived in Victoria in 1874 aboard the Kate Devonport, aged 30; American.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frank Earl Otis

    Retired seaman of Collingwood, Victoria; died 1983.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Arthur Allan Otis

    Retired of Preston West, Victoria; died 2000.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Otis in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Otis name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 6
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Pieter Otis

    Born 1812 in Spanbroek.

    Open Archives, Westfries Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Antje Otis

    In the population register of Andijk; born 1801 in Spierdijk.

    Open Archives, Westfries Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Agje Otis

    Baptised in 1796 in Spierdijk.

    Open Archives, Westfries Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Otis in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France1 record

1 record of the Otis name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Louis Francois Otis

    Born 1916 in Istres (Bouches-du-Rhône); died 1977 in Avignon (Vaucluse).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Otis.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Otis is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Otis volume
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