Given name
Othello
“a wealthy man”
Othello is a variant of Otto. One German interpretation is “a wealthy man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Othello is a variant of Otto. One German interpretation is “a wealthy man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Othello is a variant of Otto. An origin associated with Otto is German.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1905. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Othello is a variant of Otto. The history of Otto gives this family its wider story. Otto has historical associations with German royal and princely families.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Othello through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 803
- 687 boys · 116 girls
- Most popular year
- 1919
- 24 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,476 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +25%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,476 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 511 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Othello’s family of names
In English usage, Othello has a later derivative in OTELO. Othello has a related form in Otto.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Othello
Characters named Othello: Othello (Shakespeare's Othello; a Moorish soldier in the service of the Venetian Republic, who elopes with Desdemona, murders her, and kills himself).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Othello, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Percey
Percey connects to the Percival name family through Percy. One French interpretation is “one who can pierce the vale; in Arthurian legend, the only one who could retrieve the Holy Grail.”
>99% boys
Hrothegarr
“a king”
—
Hrothegare
“a king”
—
Esolt
“a woman known for her beauty”
—
Isolt
“of fair aspect”
—
Esold
“a woman known for her beauty”
—
Vonditta
“a wanderer”
—
Ferdinand
“a courageous voyager”
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