Obinna
A masculine Igbo name meaning "the father's child/heir".
Name Census estimates that about 840 living Americans carry the first name Obinna. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obinna today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obinna births was 2006 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obinna. 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 Obinna with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
840
~ 1 in 408,041 Americans
Peak year
2006
32 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,757
Tracked since 1977
Census
Obinna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,242 people with the first name Obinna, which placed it at #10,634 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
#10,634
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,242 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obinna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obinna is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.6%). 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 Obinna 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 Obinna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.8% · 1,178
- Two or more races2.2% · 27
- White1.6% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Obinna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obinna from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 237 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Obinna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Obinna 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 Obinna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Obinnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, New York, Maryland recorded the most babies named Obinna, while New Jersey, District of Columbia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Obinna
The name Obinna originated from the Igbo culture of southeastern Nigeria. It is believed to have roots dating back to the 9th century AD or earlier. Obinna is derived from the Igbo words "Ọbị" meaning "heart" and "nna" meaning "father." Thus, the name translates to "father's heart" or "the heart's father."
The name Obinna was commonly given to male children, signifying the deep love and affection a father has for his child. It also conveyed the idea that the child was highly cherished and valued within the family and community.
While the exact origins of the name are obscure, some Igbo folklore and oral traditions suggest that Obinna was the name of a revered ancestor or leader from ancient times. This ancestor was said to be a wise and compassionate ruler who guided his people with a kind and caring heart.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Obinna can be found in the historical accounts of the Nri Kingdom, a powerful Igbo civilization that flourished between the 9th and 16th centuries AD. Obinna was mentioned as the name of a respected elder and advisor to the Eze Nri (King of Nri).
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Obinna:
1. Obinna Ekezie (c. 1550-1620), a renowned Igbo sculptor and woodcarver from the Nri Kingdom, known for his intricate and lifelike sculptures depicting various aspects of Igbo culture and tradition.
2. Obinna Okafor (1798-1872), a prominent Igbo trader and diplomat who played a significant role in facilitating trade and diplomatic relations between the Igbo people and European merchants in the 19th century.
3. Obinna Nwagbara (1915-1998), a respected Igbo writer and poet whose works explored themes of cultural identity, tradition, and the impact of colonialism on Igbo society.
4. Obinna Nwoke (1932-2011), an influential Igbo businessman and philanthropist, who was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and charitable organizations in southeastern Nigeria.
5. Obinna Nwoke Jr. (1965-present), a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and technology executive, who co-founded one of the earliest and most successful internet service providers in West Africa.
While the name Obinna has its roots in the Igbo culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of Nigeria and among the Nigerian diaspora worldwide, serving as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and values associated with this ancient name.
People
Obinna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obinna 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
Obinna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obinna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 840 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obinna 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 408,041 US residents.
Is Obinna a common name?
We classify Obinna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 858 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obinna most popular?
The single biggest year for Obinna was 2006, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obinna is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Obinna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,242 people with the name Obinna, or 0.41 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,634 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 Obinna 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 Obinna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Obinna appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,230 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 Obinna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Obinna is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.6%). 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 Obinna most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Obinna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (1,178 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 Obinna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Obinna a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obinna 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 Obinna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Obinna 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 Obinna 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 many people have the name Obinna?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Obinna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.