OTTO MOORE

Originally a short form of any of the various Germanic compound personal names containing the element od, ot ‘prosperity, wealth’ (compare the corresponding Old English ēad in names such as Edward and Edwin). St Otto of Bamberg (d. 1139) was a missionary to the Pomeranians. Otto the Great (912–73) is generally regarded as the founder of the Holy Roman Empire, and the name has been borne by several members of German and Austrian royal houses. It was recorded occasionally among immigrants to England from the Low Countries in the 14th century, but failed to establish itself. Since the 19th century it has again been used occasionally in the English-speaking world, mostly among immigrants from Germanic countries.

English: from Middle English more ‘moor’, ‘marsh’, ‘fen’, ‘area of uncultivated land’ (Old English mōr), hence a topographic name for someone who lived in such a place or a habitational name from any of the various places named with this word, as for example Moore in Cheshire or More in Shropshire.