2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guobadia
A surname of Nigerian origin possibly meaning "foreigner" or "stranger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159 Americans carry the last name Guobadia. That puts it at #128,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,155,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guobadia surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
159
1 in 2,155,688
Census rank
#128,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139 bearers of the surname Guobadia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 128411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guobadia, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and White (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guobadia
The surname Guobadia is believed to have originated from the Benin region of West Africa, specifically among the Edo people of what is now southern Nigeria. This name likely emerged during the 15th or 16th century when the Edo people were part of the powerful Benin Empire.
One theory suggests that Guobadia is derived from the Edo words "ogua" meaning "metal" and "obadia" meaning "creator" or "maker." This could imply that the name originally referred to a metalworker or someone skilled in forging metal objects. However, the exact etymology remains uncertain due to limited historical records from that era.
The earliest known written reference to the Guobadia name dates back to the late 17th century, when it appeared in Portuguese documents detailing trade and diplomatic interactions between the Benin Empire and European merchants. These records often mentioned local rulers, chiefs, and prominent individuals involved in the transactions.
In the 19th century, British colonial records from the region also included references to individuals with the surname Guobadia. One notable example is Chief Guobadia, a powerful local ruler in the Edo Kingdom during the 1860s, who played a significant role in negotiations with British colonial authorities.
Another historical figure bearing this name was Okunwon Guobadia, a renowned artist and sculptor who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His intricate wood and ivory carvings were highly prized and can be found in museums and private collections around the world.
During the 20th century, several individuals with the Guobadia surname gained prominence in various fields. These include:
1. Chief Obameri Guobadia (1920-1998), a prominent Nigerian politician and member of the Edo State House of Assembly.
2. Osa Guobadia (1934-2011), a Nigerian playwright and author known for his works exploring Edo culture and folklore.
3. Jayne Guobadia (born 1960), a British actress and television presenter of Nigerian descent.
4. Stella Guobadia (born 1975), a Nigerian fashion designer and entrepreneur based in Lagos.
5. Toyin Guobadia (born 1982), a Nigerian-American attorney and legal scholar, currently serving as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
It is important to note that historical records from West Africa, particularly from pre-colonial times, can be limited or incomplete. As such, some details about the early origins and evolution of the Guobadia surname may have been lost or altered over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guobadia
Among Census respondents with the surname Guobadia, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and White (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Guobadia bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Guobadia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.3% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 7
- White4.3% · 6
- Two or more races4.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guobadia
Guobadia appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#128,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+26 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 17,790 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #128,411 | 139 | 0.05 | +26 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 17,790 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Guobadia surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #128,411 | 12.2% |
| Count | 113 | 139 | 23.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 16.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guobadia bearers went from 113 to 139 (+23.0% change). The surname moved up 17,790 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #128,411.
FAQ
Guobadia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guobadia?
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the surname Guobadia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,155,688 residents.
How common is Guobadia?
Guobadia ranks #128,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 139 people with the surname Guobadia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Guobadia.
Has Guobadia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guobadia went from 113 recorded bearers to 139. That is an increase of 26 (+23.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #128,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Guobadia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guobadia, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and White (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Guobadia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guobadia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.3%), Hispanic (5.0%), White (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Guobadia (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Guobadia mean?
A surname of Nigerian origin possibly meaning "foreigner" or "stranger." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Guobadia (0.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Guobadia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.