Obie
A nickname and short form of the German name Obadiah meaning "servant of Yahweh".
Name Census estimates that about 1,752 living Americans carry the first name Obie. It is a predominantly male name (93.9% of registrations). The average person named Obie today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obie births was 1924 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obie. 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 Obie with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 195,636 Americans
Peak year
1924
95 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,373
Tracked since 1880
Census
Obie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,491 people with the first name Obie, which placed it at #9,350 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
#9,350
National first-name rank
People counted
1.5K
1,491 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
45.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obie is Black at 45.8%. The next largest groups are White (41.1%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Obie 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 Obie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.8% · 683
- White41.1% · 613
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 103
- Two or more races4.3% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 14
Gender
Gender distribution for Obie
Obie leans heavily male at 93.9% of total registrations, but 271 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Obie as a male name
- Ranked #5,373 in 2024
- 18 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1924 (88 births)
Obie as a female name
- Ranked #5,807 in 1948
- 5 female births in 1948
- Peak: 1916 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Obie leans strongly male. 1,404 people counted with this name were male (94.0%), compared with 89 female bearers (6.0%).
Popularity
Obie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 749 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
Obie 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 Obie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Obies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Alabama recorded the most babies named Obie, while South Carolina, Ohio, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 93 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Obie
The name Obie is believed to have its origins in the Igbo language, spoken by the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It is derived from the Igbo word "Obinna," which means "the father's heart" or "the father's will." This name has been in use among the Igbo people for centuries, reflecting their cultural values and traditions.
In the Igbo culture, names often carry deep symbolic meanings and are carefully chosen to reflect the hopes, desires, or circumstances surrounding a child's birth. The name Obie likely emerged as a shortened or diminutive form of Obinna, making it easier to pronounce and remember.
While the name Obie does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its Igbo roots suggest a rich cultural heritage and connection to the traditions of the Igbo people. The earliest recorded examples of the name are likely found in historical records and genealogical documents within Igbo communities.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Obie. One such person was Obie Obawole, a prominent Yoruba artist and sculptor from Nigeria, born in the early 20th century. His intricate woodcarvings and sculptures captured the essence of Yoruba culture and earned him international recognition.
Another notable figure was Obie Philpot, an American blues singer and songwriter from the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Louisiana, he was known for his distinctive vocal style and contributed to the development of the blues genre during its formative years.
In the realm of politics, Obie Yadgar was a prominent figure in the Israeli Labor Party and served as a member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) from 1981 to 1992. He was actively involved in advocating for social and economic policies that aimed to improve the lives of Israeli citizens.
Obie Trice, born in 1977, is a well-known American rapper and songwriter. He gained recognition for his collaborations with Eminem and his critically acclaimed debut album, "Cheers," released in 2003.
Lastly, Obie Benz is a contemporary American artist known for his vibrant and expressive abstract paintings. Born in the late 20th century, his works have been exhibited in galleries and art fairs across the United States, garnering praise from critics and art enthusiasts alike.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Obie throughout history, each making their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human civilization.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Obie
People
Obie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obie 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
Obie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,752 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obie 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 195,636 US residents.
Is Obie a common name?
We classify Obie as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,426 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obie most popular?
The single biggest year for Obie was 1924, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obie is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Obie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,491 people with the name Obie, or 0.49 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,350 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 Obie 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 Obie?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Obie leans strongly male. 1,404 people counted with this name were male (94.0%), compared with 89 female bearers (6.0%). 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 Obie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obie is Black at 45.8%. The next largest groups are White (41.1%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Obie most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Obie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.8% (683 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 Obie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Obie a male name?
Yes, 93.9% of people registered as Obie 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 Obie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Obie 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 Obie 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 Obie?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Obie at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.