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Otter History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Otter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

The German surname Otter has several possible origins, but they can all be traced back to the kingdom of Bavaria, located in the southern part of Germany. The name may be derived from a place name, such as "Usterbach," a town near the Bavarian city of Augsburg, or "Otterbach," the name of several German towns, and would in this case refer to someone who came from one of these places. Alternatively, the name may be derived from the German words "uter," meaning "coming from," and "Bach," meaning "stream." In this case, the name would have been originally borne by someone living close to a stream. Finally, the name may be derived from the personal name "Utters;" in this instance, the name would mean "son of Utters."

Early Origins of the Otter family

The surname Otter was first found in the town of Armorbach, where Erkinbertus dictus de Ottirbach, the first recorded bearer of the name, was living in 1298. Another early instance of the name dates back to 1323, when a butcher named Usterpach was residing in Augsburg.

Early History of the Otter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Otter research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1298, 1323 and 1357 are included under the topic Early Otter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Otter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Utterback, Utterbach, Ottirbach, Usterpach, Otter, Otterbeeck, Otterbach and many more.

Early Notables of the Otter family

Prominent among members of the name Otter in this period include

the noble Ottersbach family, living in the Wuerttemberg region during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries

Otter Ranking

In the United States, the name Otter is the 18,057^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Otter migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Otter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Otter, who settled in Virginia in 1638
Thomasin Otter, who arrived in Maryland in 1668 2
John Otter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 2
John Otter and his wife settled in Delaware in 1682

Otter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Henrich Otter, who settled in Philadelphia in 1734
Joh Henrich Otter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1734 2
Francis Otter, who landed in America in 1748

Otter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Otter, who landed in Maryland in 1828 2
Lena Den Otter, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
Aart Den Otter, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
Dirk Den Otter, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
Stephan Otter, who settled in New York State in 1882

Otter migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Otter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Otter, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Mr. John Otter, (b. 1801), aged 35, English farm labourer who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1836 4

Otter migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Otter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Otter, British settler travelling from London with 2 others names not listed aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Otter (post 1700) +

William Bruère Otter (1805-1876), Anglican cleric, Archdeacon of Lewes from 1855 until his death in 1876
William Otter (1768-1840), first Principal of King's College, London
Francis Otter (1831-1895), English politician, Member of Parliament for Louth (1885-1886)
General Sir William Dillon Otter KCB, CVO, VD (1843-1929), Canadian soldier who was the first Canadian-born Chief of the General Staff
Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (b. 1942), American politician, 32nd Governor of Idaho since January 2007, Lieutenant Governor of Idaho from 1987 to 2001
Rt. Rev. Anthony Otter (1896-1986), Assistant Bishop Diocese of Lincoln, and author of "Beginning with Atoms"
Bethel V Otter (1914-1942), eponym of the USS Otter (DE-210)

Historic Events for the Otter family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Richard Otter (d. 1912), aged 39, American Second Class passenger from Middleburg Heights, Ohio who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 6

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html