NameCensus.

UK surname

Otterson

English locational surname derived from the village of Ottringham in Yorkshire.

In the 1881 census there were 29 people recorded with the Otterson surname, ranking it #29,484 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 90, ranked #32,202, down from #29,484 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, Sunderland and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Otterson is 114 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 210.3%.

1881 census count

29

Ranked #29,484

Modern count

90

2016, ranked #32,202

Peak year

1999

114 bearers

Map years

2

1998 to 2006

Key insights

  • Otterson had 29 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,484 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016, ranked #32,202.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 47 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Otterson surname distribution map

The map shows where the Otterson surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Otterson surname density by area, 2006 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Otterson over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 26 #28,667
1861 historical 36 #29,463
1881 historical 29 #29,484
1891 historical 44 #30,838
1901 historical 47 #28,929
1911 historical 46 #28,224
1997 modern 111 #25,394
1998 modern 111 #25,990
1999 modern 114 #25,766
2000 modern 111 #26,111
2001 modern 104 #26,765
2002 modern 103 #27,443
2003 modern 95 #28,536
2004 modern 92 #29,197
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 104 #27,646
2007 modern 102 #28,351
2008 modern 101 #28,825
2009 modern 107 #28,483
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 95 #30,877
2012 modern 88 #32,064
2013 modern 90 #32,146
2014 modern 90 #32,309
2015 modern 92 #32,075
2016 modern 90 #32,202

Geography

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Where Ottersons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, Sunderland, County Durham and Newton North. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 003 St Edmundsbury
2 Sunderland 028 Sunderland
3 County Durham 022 County Durham
4 Sunderland 027 Sunderland
5 Newton North South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Otterson

These lists show first names that appear often with the Otterson surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Otterson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Otterson, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Otterson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Otterson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Otterson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Otterson is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Otterson falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Otterson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Otterson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Otterson

The surname Otterson is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "otr" meaning otter and "sunu" meaning son. It is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name resided in an area inhabited by otters, likely near a river or stream.

The surname first appeared in the late 12th century in various forms such as Otressone and Otresun. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, which mention a William Otresune in 1195.

During the 13th century, the name can be found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which list a Richard Otersone in 1273. The Otterson spelling, as we know it today, emerged around this time and was used interchangeably with variations like Otresone and Otreson.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, where a John Oterson is listed in 1379. Another notable figure from this time was Thomas Otterson, a landowner and freeman of the City of York, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1392.

During the 16th century, the Otterson surname gained prominence in various parts of England. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Robert Otterson, a merchant from London who was mentioned in the city's records in 1512. Another notable bearer of this name was William Otterson, a clergyman and scholar who served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham from 1573 to 1596.

In the 17th century, the Otterson surname can be found in various parish registers and historical documents. One notable figure was John Otterson, a member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London, who was born in 1632 and died in 1698.

As the surname spread across England, it also appeared in various place names. For example, there is an Otterson Farm in Leicestershire, which likely derived its name from an early bearer of the Otterson surname who resided in the area.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Otterson surname. These include James Otterson (1806-1878), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Barclay in Hertfordshire; William Otterson (1834-1891), a British engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of the steam engine; and Emily Otterson (1868-1942), an American suffragist and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Otterson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Otterson surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Durham leads with 10 Ottersons recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.89x.

County Total Index
Durham 10 11.89x
Ayrshire 7 33.08x
Lanarkshire 4 4.37x
Middlesex 3 1.06x
Yorkshire 3 1.07x
Cheshire 1 1.60x
Lancashire 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Monkwearmouth in Durham leads with 8 Ottersons recorded in 1881 and an index of 987.65x.

Place Total Index
Monkwearmouth 8 987.65x
Coylton 7 2333.33x
Barony 3 12.96x
Bolton In Bradford 2 1111.11x
Limehouse London 2 64.52x
Govan 1 4.42x
Hoose 1 833.33x
Kirkham 1 227.27x
Ruswarp 1 322.58x
Southwick 1 125.00x
St George Hanover 1 27.10x
Stockton On Tees 1 24.63x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Otterson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 2
Anne 1
Elizth. 1
Fanny 1
Isabel 1
Jane 1
Margt. 1
Selia 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Otterson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 3
Francis 1
Nicholas 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Otterson households.

FAQ

Otterson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Otterson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 29 people were recorded with the Otterson surname. That placed it at #29,484 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Otterson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016. That gives Otterson a modern rank of #32,202.

What does the Otterson surname mean?

English locational surname derived from the village of Ottringham in Yorkshire.

What does the Otterson map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Otterson bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.