Otis

Otis was most popular for boys way back at the turn of the 20th century. In the year 1899 Otis was the 94th most preferred boy’s name in the country (which is the highest position he ever achieved on the American charts). In the first couple of decades of last century, Otis hovered between #100 and #150 on the charts making him a modest favorite about 100 years ago. As the decades progressed into the 20th century, Otis left his glory days behind him as the name’s popularity slipped. What was once a familiar and commonly used name was now going out of style as we headed toward a new century. In fact, 1994 marks the last year Otis appeared on the American boy’s naming charts. The name is now so underused it doesn’t even make the Top 1000! This is great news for parents looking for an original yet quaintly old-fashioned masculine name. Not many boys are named Otis these days (we hear a lot of people say it’s too close in sound to words like “odor” or “odious”). In our opinion, though, Otis has more than a few things going for it. It’s a name that seriously grows on you, it’s upbeat and friendly, it’s musically inspired, it’s charming and old-fashioned, it’s confidently simple and it has a positively “prosperous” meaning. We applaud the few brave parents who are rediscovering this name, dusting off the cobwebs and hoping to bring it back into circulation.