Obada
A masculine Arabic name meaning "worshipper" or "servant of God".
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Obada. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obada today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obada births was 2011 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obada. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Obada. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
2011
9 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2016 SSA rank
#11,743
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Obada: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obada from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 15 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
Obada 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 Obada 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 Obada
The name Obada has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic root word "abada," which means "to worship" or "to serve." The name Obada is a combination of the Arabic word "abd," meaning "servant" or "slave," and "Allah," referring to the Islamic concept of God.
In the early days of Islam, it was common for Arabs to name their children with names that expressed their devotion to their faith and their submission to Allah. Obada was likely one of the names given to children born during this period, signifying their role as servants of God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Obada can be found in the biography of Obada ibn al-Samit, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who lived in the 7th century CE. He was known for his piety and dedication to the Islamic faith, and his name reflected this devotion.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Obada. One of the most famous was Obada ibn al-Walid (634-718 CE), a renowned Arab general and military leader who played a crucial role in the early Muslim conquests. He was known for his bravery and strategic prowess on the battlefield.
Another prominent figure was Obada ibn al-Jarah (580-639 CE), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the earliest converts to Islam. He was known for his wisdom and his contributions to the compilation and preservation of the Qur'an.
In the realm of literature, Obada ibn al-Abras (630-701 CE) was a celebrated Arab poet and philosopher of the Umayyad era. His works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, and he was renowned for his mastery of the Arabic language.
Obada al-Baghdadi (1049-1109 CE) was a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad. He made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and authored several influential works on the subject.
While the name Obada has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world over the centuries. However, its historical significance and connection to the early days of Islam remain deeply ingrained in its origins and meaning.
People
Obada + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obada 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
Obada: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obada?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obada 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 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Obada a common name?
We classify Obada as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obada most popular?
The single biggest year for Obada was 2011, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obada is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Obada a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obada 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.
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.