Obed
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "worshiper" or "servant of God".
Name Census estimates that about 3,625 living Americans carry the first name Obed. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obed today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obed births was 2005 (137 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obed. 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 Obed with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.6K
~ 1 in 94,553 Americans
Peak year
2005
137 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,945
Tracked since 1880
Census
Obed in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,105 people with the first name Obed, which placed it at #3,855 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
#3,855
National first-name rank
People counted
5.1K
5,105 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
80.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obed
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obed is Hispanic at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and White (4.6%). 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 Obed 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 Obed at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.2% · 4,094
- Black or African American12.7% · 646
- White4.6% · 234
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 107
- Two or more races0.4% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Obed: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obed from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,083 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Obed remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Obed 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 Obed during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Obeds live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Obed, while Tennessee, Oregon, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 121 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Obed
The name Obed has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "עֹבֵד" ('ōḇḗḏ), meaning "servant" or "worshipper". The name was particularly significant in the biblical era, as it carried connotations of devotion and reverence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Obed can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Ruth, Obed is mentioned as the son of Boaz and Ruth, and the grandfather of King David. This lineage underscores the historical and religious significance of the name within the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Obed. One of the earliest recorded figures was Obed, the son of Shemaiah, who was mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:37-38 in the Bible. Another prominent figure was Obed, the father of Jesse, who was the father of the famous King David, as mentioned in Ruth 4:17.
In the 17th century, Obed Edom was a Levite mentioned in the Old Testament who gained fame for hosting the Ark of the Covenant in his home. His faithfulness and reverence were celebrated in the biblical accounts.
During the 18th century, Obed Hussey (1792-1860) was an American inventor who is credited with developing and patenting one of the earliest successful grain reapers, revolutionizing the agricultural industry.
In the 19th century, Obed Waterhouse (1835-1876) was a British architect known for his exceptional work on various public buildings, including the Holborn Town Hall in London.
As the name Obed has deep roots in the Hebrew language and biblical tradition, it has been embraced by various cultures and communities over the centuries. While its popularity may have fluctuated, the name continues to carry a sense of reverence and devotion, reflecting its ancient origins.
People
Obed + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obed 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
Obed: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obed?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,625 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obed 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 94,553 US residents.
Is Obed a common name?
We classify Obed as "Rare". It ranks above 95.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,063 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obed most popular?
The single biggest year for Obed was 2005, when 137 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obed is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Obed in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,105 people with the name Obed, or 1.69 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,855 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 Obed 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 Obed?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Obed appears almost entirely male. Of the 5,102 people counted with this name, 99.2% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Obed?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obed is Hispanic at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and White (4.6%). 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 Obed most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Obed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (4,094 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 Obed in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Obed a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obed 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 Obed still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Obed 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 Obed 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 Obed?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.