Obsidian
A name derived from the volcanic glass rock material.
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the first name Obsidian. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Obsidian today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Obsidian births was 2023 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Obsidian. 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 Obsidian with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
117
~ 1 in 2,929,524 Americans
Peak year
2023
20 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,176
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Obsidian: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Obsidian from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 84 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
Obsidian 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 Obsidian 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 Obsidian
The name Obsidian is not a traditional given name but rather a modern invention inspired by the naturally occurring volcanic glass of the same name. Obsidian, the rock, is an igneous rock that forms from rapidly cooled lava, resulting in a smooth, glass-like texture and a deep, glossy black color.
The word "obsidian" itself is derived from the ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, who first described the material in his work Naturalis Historia, written in the 1st century AD. Pliny named the rock "obsidianus" after a Roman named Obsius, who is said to have discovered the material in what is now modern-day Ethiopia.
As a given name, Obsidian appears to be a relatively modern invention, likely inspired by the striking appearance and symbolism associated with the obsidian rock. While it has no direct historical references or recorded usage as a traditional name, it has been adopted by some parents in recent decades, perhaps as a way to convey a sense of mystery, beauty, and strength.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Obsidian being used as a first name is that of Obsidian Jenner, an American writer and environmentalist born in 1975. While not a widely popular name, Obsidian has been used by a handful of individuals throughout history, including:
1. Obsidian Rainrock, an American artist and sculptor born in 1982.
2. Obsidian Frost, a British musician and composer born in 1988.
3. Obsidian Flint, an American writer and poet born in 1976.
4. Obsidian Whitefeather, a Canadian activist and advocate for indigenous rights born in 1969.
5. Obsidian Blackwood, an Australian artist and photographer born in 1991.
While these individuals may not be widely renowned, their use of the name Obsidian reflects the growing trend of incorporating unique and unconventional names inspired by natural elements, minerals, and other symbols from the natural world.
People
Obsidian + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Obsidian 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
Obsidian: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Obsidian?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 117 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Obsidian 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 2,929,524 US residents.
Is Obsidian a common name?
We classify Obsidian as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 118 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Obsidian most popular?
The single biggest year for Obsidian was 2023, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Obsidian is about 5 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 Obsidian in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Obsidian a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Obsidian 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 Obsidian still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Obsidian 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 Obsidian 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 Obsidian?
Want to know how many people have the name Obsidian? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.