Obert
A masculine given name of Germanic origin meaning "bright" or "famous".
Name Census estimates that about 208 living Americans carry the first name Obert. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obert today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obert births was 1921 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obert. 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.
People living today
208
~ 1 in 1,647,857 Americans
Peak year
1921
25 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1988 SSA rank
#4,374
Tracked since 1895
Popularity
Obert: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obert from the 1890s through to the 1980s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 181 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Obert remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Obert 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 Obert during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oberts live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Obert, while Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Obert
The name Obert has its origins in the Germanic languages, and is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German words "aud" meaning wealth or fortune, and "berht" meaning bright or shining. Thus, the name Obert can be interpreted as meaning "bright fortune" or "shining wealth."
One of the earliest records of the name Obert dates back to the 8th century, in the form of "Audopertus" or "Obertus." This was the name of a monk who lived in the Benedictine monastery of St. Gall in present-day Switzerland. The name was particularly popular in medieval Germany, France, and Italy, where it was often spelled as "Oberto" or "Auberto."
In the 11th century, Obert was the name of a prominent German nobleman, Obert of Diessen, who served as a courtier under the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. Another notable figure with this name was Obert of Gembloux, a 12th-century Benedictine monk and historian from present-day Belgium, who wrote the Chronicle of Gembloux.
During the Renaissance, the name Obert gained popularity in Italy, where it was often associated with the arts and literature. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Oberto Ghibellin, an Italian poet and philosopher who lived in the 13th century. He was a member of the Ghibelline faction, which supported the Holy Roman Emperor's authority over the Italian city-states.
In the realm of music, the name Obert is associated with the Italian composer Oberto Obizzi, who lived in the 16th century and was a member of the renowned Obizzi family of Ferrara. He is known for his madrigals and other vocal compositions that were popular during the Renaissance.
Another notable figure with the name Obert was Oberto Guasconi, an Italian architect and engineer who lived in the 15th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings, including the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, Italy.
While the name Obert may not be as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of several European countries, particularly in Germany, Italy, and France. Its enduring legacy serves as a reminder of the fascinating history and linguistic diversity that have shaped the names we bear.
People
Obert + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obert 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
Obert: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obert?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 208 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obert 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 1,647,857 US residents.
Is Obert a common name?
We classify Obert as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 619 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obert most popular?
The single biggest year for Obert was 1921, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obert is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Obert a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obert 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.