Thirty years of Otis
Otis in numbers
Otis has risen from 24 boys in 1996 to 726 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 842 in 2022. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2018 and 2021, from 277 to 737. It ranked 654th in 1996, reached 67th in 2024 and ranks 71st now. On average it was given to 22 boys a year in the late 1990s, 49 in the 2000s, 208 in the 2010s and 744 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Similar spellings in the 2025 list†: Ottis (13). Matched by their letters, not by meaning or origin. ONS counts each spelling separately, so these are not added to Otis.
What the official statisticians said
“There were 737 boys born in 2021 who were named Otis, compared with 277 in 2018 before the first series”
ONS, on 2021 births in England and Wales. Read the source
“Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme ‘Sex Education’, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020.”
ONS, on 2020 births in England and Wales. Read the source
Quoted word for word from the official releases, including their own “may” and “could”. Baby Data has not added reasons of its own. Releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland are about babies there, not in England and Wales.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-5%762 to 726
- 5 years+19%612 to 726
- 10 years+267%198 to 726
- 20 years+881%74 to 726
- Since 1996×3024 to 726
- Total, 1996 to 20257,121boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 71 · ONS · 762 in 2024
Rank 190 · NRS · 20 in 2024
Rank 344 · NISRA · 8 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 71 | 726 | -5% | 1 in 414 |
| 2024 | =67 | 762 | -3% | 1 in 400 |
| 2023 | 70 | 784 | -7% | 1 in 387 |
| 2022 | 68 | 842 | +14% | 1 in 369 |
| 2021 | 81 | 737 | +20% | 1 in 434 |
| 2020 | 96 | 612 | +35% | 1 in 514 |
| 2019 | =124 | 455 | +64% | 1 in 723 |
| 2018 | 192 | 277 | -1% | 1 in 1,219 |
| 2017 | =193 | 281 | +15% | 1 in 1,239 |
| 2016 * | =229 | 245 | +24% | 1 in 1,453 |
| 2015 | =258 | 198 | +21% | 1 in 1,809 |
| 2014 | 284 | 164 | +29% | 1 in 2,175 |
| 2013 | =329 | 127 | +2% | 1 in 2,822 |
| 2012 | =349 | 125 | +25% | 1 in 2,995 |
| 2011 | =392 | 100 | -6% | 1 in 3,710 |
| 2010 | =381 | 106 | +14% | 1 in 3,500 |
| 2009 | 416 | 93 | +21% | 1 in 3,894 |
| 2008 | =461 | 77 | +17% | 1 in 4,714 |
| 2007 | =492 | 66 | -1% | 1 in 5,371 |
| 2006 | =469 | 67 | -9% | 1 in 5,111 |
| 2005 | =406 | 74 | +147% | 1 in 4,467 |
| 2004 | =749 | 30 | +7% | 1 in 10,944 |
| 2003 | =746 | 28 | +47% | 1 in 11,372 |
| 2002 | =907 | 19 | -14% | 1 in 16,108 |
| 2001 | =786 | 22 | +22% | 1 in 13,846 |
| 2000 | =881 | 18 | -18% | 1 in 17,201 |
| 1999 | =750 | 22 | +10% | 1 in 14,511 |
| 1998 | =780 | 20 | +0% | 1 in 16,295 |
| 1997 | =788 | 20 | -17% | 1 in 16,478 |
| 1996 | =654 | 24 | 1 in 13,895 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Otis
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Otis is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Otis is in our lists: Short baby names.