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

Ober, 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 Ober surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ober in America

Ober is the 8799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ober surname appeared 3,724 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ober.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ober 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.

The history of the last name Ober

The surname OBER has its origins in the German language, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "ober," which means "upper" or "superior." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in an elevated area or held a position of authority.

One of the earliest known references to the name OBER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Middle Ages. In a document dated 1283, a certain "Conradus Ober" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction in the town of Mainz, in present-day Germany.

During the 14th century, the OBER surname began to spread across various regions of Germany, with records indicating the presence of families bearing this name in cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt, and Nuremberg. The name was also found in various forms, including Obere, Oberle, and Obert.

One notable individual with the surname OBER was Johann Ober (1484-1551), a German humanist and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and contributed to the translation of the Bible into German.

Another prominent figure was Andreas Ober (1598-1668), a German mathematician and astronomer who worked as a professor at the University of Altdorf. He made important contributions to the fields of trigonometry and astronomy, publishing several works on these subjects.

In the 18th century, the OBER name found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Belgium. One individual of note was Pieter Ober (1726-1804), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.

As the name spread, it also underwent various spelling changes, with Ober, Obber, and Obere being among the most common variations. In the United States, the name OBER can be traced back to the 18th century, when German immigrants began to arrive in significant numbers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Michael Ober (1738-1819), a Hessian soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War. After the war, he settled in Pennsylvania and became a farmer.

Another notable American with the surname OBER was James Ober (1808-1882), a politician and businessman from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ober

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

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 Ober was:

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 Ober has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Ober was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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