Otto

Wealth or possessions, from an old Germanic name element.

Otto is a masculine name with Germanic roots and a meaning linked to wealth or possessions. It began in the family of short forms built from the name element aud or ot, but is a complete given name in its own right. Its place in medieval German royal history gives its small form a substantial past. The German pronunciation starts with a short, open o and ends with a pure o sound. English speakers usually give the ending a glide, as in “go”; both readings put the emphasis first. For a family using German and English, that difference can be part of the name’s everyday sound even when the spelling stays the same. Written Otto, the name reads the same forwards and backwards when capitalisation is set aside. The two round o letters enclosing tt give it a tidy, almost graphic quality. To our ear, its clipped middle keeps that roundness from becoming too soft: Otto may appeal if you enjoy vintage names with a simple, uncluttered shape.

Etymology: A German form from the aud/ot family of names, originally short forms of longer names containing the element for wealth.