Obeid last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Obeid is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Obeid.

Meaning of Obeid

A surname of Arabic origin meaning "little servant" or "worshipper."

Obeid, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Obeid surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Obeid in America

Obeid is the 29854th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Obeid surname appeared 787 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Obeid.

We can also compare 2010 data for Obeid to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 29854 37266 -22.09%
Count 787 563 33.19%
Proportion per 100k 0.27 0.21 25.00%

The history of the last name Obeid

The surname OBEID has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly around the 7th or 8th century CE.

OBEID is derived from the Arabic word "Ubaid," which means "little servant" or "worshipper." This name was likely given to individuals who were devoted to their faith or those who served in religious institutions or households.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname OBEID can be found in the writings of Arab historians and chroniclers from the 9th and 10th centuries. These texts often referenced individuals with this name, indicating its prevalence during that era.

In the 11th century, the name appeared in various manuscripts and records from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula. One notable figure from this period was Abu al-Obeid al-Bakri, a renowned Andalusian historian and geographer born in Cordova, Spain, around 1040 CE.

During the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over Egypt and parts of the Levant from the 13th to the 16th century, the OBEID surname was relatively common. Al-Obeid al-Dimashqi, a famous Damascene poet and scholar who lived in the 14th century, is one example.

In the 18th century, Ahmad al-Obeid, an influential Sudanese scholar and religious leader, played a significant role in the spread of Islam in West Africa. He was born in 1703 and established several educational institutions in what is now northern Sudan.

Another notable figure with the OBEID surname was Musa al-Obeid, a 19th-century Sudanese scholar and teacher who contributed to the development of Islamic education in his region. He was born in 1820 and lived to the age of 90.

Throughout history, the OBEID surname has been associated with various place names, such as Obeida, a town in modern-day Libya, and Obeid, a city in northern Sudan. These places likely derived their names from individuals with the OBEID surname who settled or played significant roles in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Obeid

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Obeid.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Obeid was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 84.63% 666
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.78% 14
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.27% 10
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 9.28% 73
Hispanic Origin 3.05% 24

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Obeid has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 84.63% 71.94% 16.21%
Black 1.78% 1.07% 49.82%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.27% 2.13% -50.59%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 9.28% 21.31% -78.65%
Hispanic 3.05% 3.55% -15.15%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Obeid was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Obeid, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Obeid last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/obeid-surname-popularity/.

"Obeid last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/obeid-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Obeid last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/obeid-surname-popularity/.

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