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Otterson Family History

Otterson Surname Meaning

Americanized form of Norwegian Ottersen: patronymic from the personal name Ottar Old Norse Óttarr from ótti ‘fear dread’ + -arr ‘warrior’.

English (northern; Durham) and Scottish (Glasgow): from the Old Norse personal name Óttarr (see 1 and Otter) + patronymic -son.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Otterson family from?

You can see how Otterson families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Otterson family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Otterson families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 13 Otterson families living in Lancashire. This was about 33% of all the recorded Otterson's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Otterson families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Otterson surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Otterson ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Otterson. 100% of Otterson women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Otterson | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Otterson family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 8,000 census records available for the last name Otterson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Otterson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Otterson

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Otterson. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Otterson immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Otterson. For the veterans among your Otterson ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Otterson military records

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