Obe
Slave or servant of God, from the West African Igbo language.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Obe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obe today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obe births was 1916 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obe. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Obe is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Obes were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Obe. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1916
9 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1948 SSA rank
#3,571
Tracked since 1881
Census
Obe in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 120 people with the first name Obe, which placed it at #50,338 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#50,338
National first-name rank
People counted
120
120 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
40.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obe
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obe is White at 40.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.7%) and Black (25.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Obe described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Obe at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.0% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino26.7% · 32
- Black or African American25.0% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.8% · 7
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Popularity
Obe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obe from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 35 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Obe 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 Obe 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 Obe
The name Obe originates from the West African region, particularly among the Yoruba people of present-day Nigeria. It is derived from the Yoruba word "Obè," which means "portion" or "share." The name likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century, when the Yoruba civilization was at its peak.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Obe can be found in the oral traditions and folklore of the Yoruba people. It is believed to have been used as a name for children born during times of abundance or prosperity, signifying their share or portion in the community's wealth and resources.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Obe Adefunmi was a prominent warrior and leader among the Yoruba people. He is remembered for his bravery and military prowess in defending his community against invading forces.
Another historical figure bearing the name Obe was Obe Ogunrinde, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the late 18th century. His works were instrumental in preserving and promoting Yoruba culture and literature.
In the 19th century, Obe Akinmoyero was a respected chief and advisor to the Oyo Empire, one of the most powerful Yoruba kingdoms at the time. His wisdom and counsel were highly valued by the rulers of the empire.
Moving into the 20th century, Obe Oguntola was a prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of his community. He was born in 1920 and passed away in 2005.
Lastly, Obe Olugbala, born in 1935, was a celebrated Nigerian artist known for his vibrant paintings and sculptures depicting Yoruba culture and traditions. His works have been exhibited in various galleries and museums around the world.
While the name Obe has its roots in the Yoruba culture, it has since gained recognition and popularity beyond West Africa, particularly in the African diaspora communities around the world.
People
Obe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obe 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
Obe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obe 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Obe a common name?
We classify Obe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obe most popular?
The single biggest year for Obe was 1916, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obe is about 89 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Obe in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 120 people with the name Obe, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,338 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Obe in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Obe?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Obe on both sides of the split. Of the 123 people counted with this name, 97 were male (78.9%) and 26 were female (21.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Obe?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obe is White at 40.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.7%) and Black (25.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Obe most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Obe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.0% (48 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Obe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Obe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obe 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 Obe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Obe 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 Obe 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.
How common is the name Obe?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.