Fun Facts About the Name Othello
- 803 babies named Othello: U.S. records list 803 babies given the name Othello from 1880 through 2025. Even 116 girls received the name Othello - about 1 girl for every 6 boys.
What Does the Name Othello Mean?
Othello is usually explained as an Italian name, Otello, formed as a diminutive of Otto. Otto goes back to the Old High German element ot (also written od), which meant "wealth," "possessions," or "inherited property." With its diminutive ending, Otello carries the sense "little wealthy one," or more loosely "wealthy."
The derivation is not completely settled. The Latin form Otho, borne by the Roman emperor Marcus Salvius Otho (who ruled briefly in 69 AD), is often linked to that same Germanic root, though the history of that name is itself debated. A separate and more speculative suggestion connects Othello with the Arabic and Turkish name Uthman (Othman), reasoning from the Moorish identity of Shakespeare's character; this is guesswork rather than a documented etymology.
Othello Name History & Origins
In English, Othello is known almost entirely through Shakespeare's tragedy, written around 1604. For the plot, Shakespeare drew on an Italian story collection by Giraldi Cinthio, published in 1565, in which the Moorish captain is never given a personal name. The name chosen for the character has been discussed by editors for centuries without agreement on where Shakespeare found it.
The Italian form Otello is used in Italy as a given name, understood there as a diminutive of Otto or Ottone. Those names spread through Italy partly under the influence of the German-speaking Holy Roman Empire, whose tenth-century emperors Otto I, Otto II, and Otto III bore the name. Otello is also the title of Giuseppe Verdi's opera of 1887, based on Shakespeare's play, and the Italian opera has kept the Italian form of the name familiar.
In English-speaking countries the name appears mainly in literary reference rather than as a name commonly given to children, and it is far more familiar as the title of the play and the character in it than as a personal name.
How Popular is the Name Othello?
Othello has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1923. Its best rank was #1,843 in 1914.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | #3,587 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #4,178 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1926 | #3,817 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1925 | #4,831 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #5,702 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #3,888 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1922 | #5,606 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1920 | #3,875 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1919 | #3,174 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #4,699 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #4,001 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #3,202 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1915 | #4,147 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1914 | #3,509 | 6 | 0.0008% |
| 1910 | #2,345 | 6 | 0.0015% |
| 1908 | #2,044 | 6 | 0.0018% |
| 1905 | #2,159 | 5 | 0.0017% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,476 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #5,813 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #6,140 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #6,070 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #8,002 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #6,922 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #8,050 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #9,435 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #7,416 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #8,005 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #11,725 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #9,429 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #11,880 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #7,366 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #12,082 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #11,981 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #9,344 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #8,129 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #7,383 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #6,915 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #8,973 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #7,993 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #11,145 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #5,979 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #6,361 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #9,903 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #7,070 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,122 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1985 | #6,310 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #5,323 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #5,453 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #4,402 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #5,861 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #4,909 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #3,861 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #5,786 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #5,664 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #3,873 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #4,265 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #3,591 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #2,742 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #3,566 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,544 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,046 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #4,415 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #2,974 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,828 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,417 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #3,722 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #3,698 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,303 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #3,010 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #3,220 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #3,287 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #2,240 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1945 | #3,229 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #3,352 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #2,689 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1942 | #3,138 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #3,407 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1940 | #3,813 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #3,391 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #2,605 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1934 | #4,078 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,671 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1931 | #3,319 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1930 | #3,223 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #3,179 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #3,013 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1927 | #3,698 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1926 | #4,071 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #2,552 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1924 | #2,785 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1923 | #2,095 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1922 | #3,183 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1921 | #4,810 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #3,416 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1919 | #2,233 | 14 | 0.0014% |
| 1918 | #2,836 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1917 | #3,140 | 8 | 0.0009% |
| 1916 | #2,500 | 11 | 0.0012% |
| 1915 | #3,004 | 8 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #1,843 | 13 | 0.0020% |
| 1913 | #3,144 | 5 | 0.0010% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Othello Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are patient, persevering and strong willed. You are a good student, absorbing knowledge easily and retaining it well. You are either a saint or a sinner. You tend to hold things inside and suffer in silence. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Othello's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Othello's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.