Obey
To submit in compliance and carry out instructions.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Obey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obey today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obey births was 1920 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obey. 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 Obey is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Obeys were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Obey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1920
6 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1955 SSA rank
#4,233
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Obey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obey from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6 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
Obey 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 Obey 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 Obey
The name Obey has its origins in the Old French word "obeir," which in turn comes from the Latin word "oboedire," meaning "to listen to" or "to obey." This name likely emerged in the medieval period, during the 12th or 13th century, when the use of Old French and Latin-derived names became more common across Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Obey can be found in the 14th century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose," where a character bears this name. However, its usage as a given name was relatively rare until the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, when it gained popularity among Puritan and Calvinist families who emphasized obedience to religious teachings.
A notable historical figure named Obey was Obey Strickler (1620-1687), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious treatises. Another early bearer of this name was Obey Hubbard (1678-1749), a Puritan minister and writer from Massachusetts, known for his influential sermons and essays.
In the 19th century, the name Obey gained some recognition with Obey Jennings (1828-1895), a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as a judge in Ohio. Obey Braunecker (1856-1932), a Swiss-American artist and painter, was also a notable bearer of this name during this period.
One of the most famous individuals named Obey was Obey Bates (1888-1975), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Congressman from Kentucky for over 20 years. His unwavering commitment to his principles earned him the nickname "The Indomitable Obey Bates."
While the name Obey has never been exceptionally popular, it has maintained a niche following among certain religious and cultural communities that value the virtues of obedience and adherence to moral principles. Its rich historical associations and unique linguistic origins have contributed to its enduring appeal, albeit in a limited capacity.
People
Obey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obey 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
Obey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obey 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Obey a common name?
We classify Obey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obey most popular?
The single biggest year for Obey was 1920, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obey is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Obey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Obey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obey 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 Obey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Obey 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 Obey 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Obey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Obey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.