Meaning and background
The story behind Otis
Otis entered English given-name use by way of a surname. The surname in turn developed from the medieval personal name Ode, related to Otto. This makes the Germanic history relevant, but it is better to state the chain than simply translate Otis as 'rich'. It has a distinctive short first syllable and ending, which also helps distinguish it when spoken beside other pet names.
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Everyday moments“Otis, come here!”
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About Otis
Recorded as a dog’s name
Otis appears in 132 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/oʊtɪs/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/oʊtɪs/ · primary stress on syllable 1OW1 T IH0 S
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.