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Otis Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Otis last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

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Meaning and origin of the Otis last name

Meaning of the Otis last name: a descendant of Otes, a form of Odo. Otis is a patronymic surname from Otes, a medieval form of the Germanic personal name Odo, meaning wealth or prosperity. The name came to England with the Normans. This last name became prominent in colonial Massachusetts, where many families with the surname are documented.

Arms associated with the Otis name

Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.

Get your full Otis family history

This is only a glimpse of the Otis story. The full Otis history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Otis coat of arms. Get the full Otis report.

Otis name FAQ

What does the Otis name mean?

A descendant of Otes, a form of Odo.

Where does the Otis surname come from?

It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Canada.

Is there a Otis coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Otis coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.