2010
#110,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Obama
A Kenyan surname meaning "Crooked/Bent" or "Half" in Luo language.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 148 Americans carry the last name Obama. That puts it at #135,344 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,315,908 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Obama 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
148
1 in 2,315,908
Census rank
#135,344
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
129
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 129 bearers of the surname Obama in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 135344th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Obama, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (22.5%) and Hispanic (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Obama
The surname Obama has its origins in Kenya, East Africa, and can be traced back to the 18th century. It is derived from the Luo language, spoken by the Luo ethnic group, and is believed to have been a name given to children born during a time of famine or hardship, with the meaning "bent over" or "crooked" in reference to the struggle for survival.
The earliest known record of the name Obama appears in a local genealogical record from the village of Nyang'oma Kogelo, in Siaya County, Kenya, dating back to the late 1700s. This document mentions an individual named Obama, who was likely a male ancestor of the more recent generations bearing the same surname.
In the 19th century, the name Obama started to spread beyond the Luo community as families migrated to other parts of Kenya and neighboring regions. One notable figure from this time period was Obama Opiyo, born in 1855, who was a respected elder and advisor in his village.
As the 20th century dawned, the name Obama became more widely recognized in Kenya and beyond. One of the first prominent individuals with this surname was Barack Hussein Obama Sr., born in 1936, a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Throughout the 20th century, several other individuals with the Obama surname made their mark in various fields. These include Obama Okoth, born in 1920, a Kenyan politician and member of the Legislative Council; Obama Onyango, born in 1945, a Kenyan author and poet; and Obama Okoth Obama, born in 1950, a Kenyan lawyer and judge.
While the surname Obama has its roots in Kenya and East Africa, it has gained global recognition due to the prominence of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, born in 1961, who served from 2009 to 2017. His memoir, "Dreams from My Father," published in 1995, provided insights into his family history and the Luo heritage associated with the Obama name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obama
Among Census respondents with the surname Obama, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (22.5%) and Hispanic (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Obama 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 Obama surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.2% · 66
- White22.5% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 8
- Two or more races6.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Obama
Obama 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
#135,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-30 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,519 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #110,825 | 159 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #135,344 | 129 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 24,519 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 Obama 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 | #110,825 | #135,344 | -22.1% |
| Count | 159 | 129 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Obama bearers went from 159 to 129 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 24,519 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,825 to #135,344.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Obama
FAQ
Obama surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Obama?
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the surname Obama. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,315,908 residents.
How common is Obama?
Obama ranks #135,344 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 129 people with the surname Obama. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Obama.
Has Obama become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Obama went from 159 recorded bearers to 129. That is a decrease of 30 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,825 to #135,344.
What does the Census say about the background of Obama?
Among Census respondents with the surname Obama, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (22.5%) and Hispanic (14.0%). 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 Obama in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (66 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Obama appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.2%), White (22.5%), Hispanic (14.0%). 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 Obama (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 Obama mean?
A Kenyan surname meaning "Crooked/Bent" or "Half" in Luo language. 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 Obama (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Obama?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.