Obaida
A masculine Arabic name meaning "servant or worshipper of God".
Name Census estimates that about 41 living Americans carry the first name Obaida. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obaida today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obaida births was 2024 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obaida. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Obaida with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Obaida. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
41
~ 1 in 8,359,862 Americans
Peak year
2024
23 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,508
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Obaida: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obaida from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 29 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Obaida by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Obaida during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Obaida
The name Obaida has its origins in the Arabic language and Islamic culture. It is derived from the root word "abada," meaning "to worship" or "to serve." The name itself carries the meaning of "the servant" or "the worshipper."
In its earliest usage, the name Obaida was often given to individuals who were deeply devoted to their faith and religious practices. It was a way to honor their piety and commitment to serving God and their community.
One of the earliest and most notable figures to bear this name was Obaida ibn al-Samit, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the first converts to Islam in the 7th century. He participated in several major battles alongside the Prophet and was known for his bravery and unwavering faith.
Another historical figure named Obaida was Obaida ibn al-Jarrah, a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the Ten Promised Paradise. He played a crucial role in the early conquests of Islam and served as a military commander during the Islamic expansions in the 7th century.
In the 9th century, Obaida ibn al-Mahdi was a celebrated Arab poet and scholar from Baghdad. He was renowned for his mastery of the Arabic language and his contributions to literature and poetry.
During the 11th century, Obaida al-Bakri was an influential Andalusian scholar and geographer. His work, "The Book of Routes and Kingdoms," is considered a significant contribution to the field of geography and cartography.
In the 13th century, Obaida al-Jili was a renowned Sufi mystic and scholar from Morocco. He is best known for his influential treatise on Sufism, titled "The Perfect Man," which explored the spiritual dimensions of the human experience.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Obaida. The name has continued to be used across various regions and cultures within the Islamic world, carrying with it the connotations of devotion, service, and spiritual dedication.
People
Obaida + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obaida as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Obaida: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obaida?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 41 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obaida going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 8,359,862 US residents.
Is Obaida a common name?
We classify Obaida as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obaida most popular?
The single biggest year for Obaida was 2024, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obaida is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Obaida in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Obaida a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obaida in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Obaida still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Obaida in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Obaida can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Obaida?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.