Surname McOtter - Meaning and Origin
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McOtter: What does the surname McOtter mean?
The surname McOtter is of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Oitir, which translates to "son of Oitir." The name Oitir itself is a personal name meaning "lucky or fortunate," derived from the Gaelic ‘oidhche,’ which means "night," and ‘tìr’ meaning "land." Thus, the full meaning can be interpreted as "son of the lucky or fortunate," or "son of the night land." It indicates that the initial bearers of this surname were descendants of a person named Oitir. Surnames often served to distinguish people by identifying them as a part of a specific family or clan. Over time, the prefix "Mc," meaning "son of," has sometimes been dropped or altered due to linguistic changes and regional variations, but the surname generally denotes familial lineage or clan affiliation in the Gaelic tradition. Despite this, few bearers of the surname McOtter exist today making it a rare name.
Order DNA origin analysisMcOtter: Where does the name McOtter come from?
McOtter is a surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic term "Mac Oitir" which translates to "son of Oitir". Oitir is a personal name possibly derived from the Old Norse name "Óttarr". This indicates that the McOtter surname might be traced back to the Viking Age in Ireland. Like many Irish surnames, it emerged from the patronymic naming system, denoting familial lineage and paternal influence. In the transformation from Gaelic to English, the surname has undergone numerous spellings variations including MacOtter, Cotter, and Otter.
Today, the highest concentration of the McOtter surname appears to be in the United States, specifically in the state of Idaho. Additionally, people bearing the McOtter surname can also be found in Australia, Canada and to a lesser extent, back in Ireland. However, overall, McOtter is not a common surname, and does not appear frequently in global registries.
Variations of the surname McOtter
The surname McOtter originates from Scotland and Ireland. Variant spellings for McOtter include MacOtter, M'Otter, and McOter. It may also have been Anglicized from the Gaelic surname Mac Oitir. This surname means "son of Oitir."
The "Mc" or "Mac" prefix in the name means "son of," therefore, the name Otter may also be a variant if the family dropped the prefix over time.
It's worth considering phonetic spellings as well, which could vary widely due to geographical accents and available literacy such as Mccotter, Mccutter, and Macoater.
Given the fluidity of spellings and names throughout history, depending on time period and region, there is also the possibility of related surnames such as Otter, Oter, Oiter, Ooter or Uter.
It’s also possible the name has been shortened or modified over the centuries, so other variants could be based on common first names starting with "O," such as O’Tier or O’Tierney.
However, without specific genealogical research, it's impossible to definitively state all variants and spellings of the McOtter surname.
Famous people with the name McOtter
- Colin McOtter: An Australian professional soccer player for Melbourne Heart FC.
- Mary McOtter: A Canadian professional figure skater.
- Scott McOtter: An American professional golfer.
- Jon McOtter: An American professional baseball player.
- George McOtter: A British professional mountaineer.
- Dylan McOtter: An American professional snowboarder.
- Devin McOtter: An American professional swimmer.
- William McOtter: A Northern Irish professional rugby player.
- David McOtter: An American professional cyclist.
- Jessica McOtter: A British professional racer.