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Otis History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Otis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Ireland

The name of the Otis family is derived from the Old French personal names Odes, Otes, Odon, and Otton. These are all derived from the Old German names "Odo" and "Otto," which literally mean "riches." Occasionally, the name Otis is a local surname derived from the settlement of Ott in Belgium.

Early Origins of the Otis family

The surname Otis was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Otis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Otis research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1649 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Otis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Otis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Oates, Oats, Otes, Otis, Oaten, Otten, Oadt, Otton, Oton and many more.

Early Notables of the Otis family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Otis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Otis Ranking

In the United States, the name Otis is the 3,244^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Otis is ranked the 735^th most popular surname. 2

Migration of the Otis family to Ireland

Some of the Otis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Otis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Otis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Otis, who arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1635
Richard Otis, who landed in New England in 1662 3
Samuel, Family Otis, who arrived in New Jersey in 1677 3

Otis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Otis, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
Manuel Otis, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1850 3
J Otis, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 3
W Otis, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 3
John Otis, aged 59, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1868 3

Otis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Otis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Chancy Otis, who arrived in Canada in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Otis (post 1700) +

Johnny Otis (1921-2012), born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes, American rhythm and blues musician and impresario, dubbed the "godfather of rhythm and blues"
James Otis (1826-1875), mayor of San Francisco, California
Samuel Allyne Otis (1740-1814), American politician, 1st Secretary of the United States Senate
William Otis (1813-1839), American inventor of the steam shovel which he patented in 1839
James Otis Jr. (1725-1783), American revolutionary politician who coined the phrase "Taxation without Representation is Tyranny"
James Otis Sr. (1702-1778), American revolutionary politician
Harrison Gray Otis (1765-1848), 3rd mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States Senator
Harrison Gray Otis (1837-1917), president and general manager of the Times-Mirror Company, publisher of the Los Angeles Times
General Glenn Kay Otis (b. 1929), U.S. Army general, awarded Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and Purple Heart (2)
Elwell Stephen Otis (1838-1909), American general who served in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)