Obert last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Obert

A French habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a small village or settlement.

Obert, 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 Obert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Obert in America

Obert is the 13997th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Obert surname appeared 2,153 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 Obert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Obert 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 13997 12782 9.07%
Count 2,153 2,214 -2.79%
Proportion per 100k 0.73 0.82 -11.61%

The history of the last name Obert

The surname Obert has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "obarn," which means "from the higher place" or "from the upper part." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who resided in or were associated with elevated areas or locations.

Over time, the name underwent various spellings, including Obern, Oberth, and Obert. Some of the earliest documented references to the Obert surname can be found in medieval German records and chronicles. For instance, a certain Hermannus Obern was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne in 1286.

During the Middle Ages, the Obert name appeared to be particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where several families bearing this surname were documented. One notable example is Johann Obert, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century (1435-1501). He was a professor at the University of Leipzig and authored several influential works on theology and philosophy.

In the 16th century, the Obert family gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where they were involved in various trades and professions. A prominent figure from this era was Christoph Obert (1538-1612), a skilled goldsmith and engraver whose works were highly regarded throughout Europe.

As the centuries progressed, the Obert surname spread to other parts of Germany and beyond. In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Obert (1720-1789) was a respected composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Württemberg.

Another noteworthy individual with the Obert surname was Carl Obert (1836-1909), a German-American entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Obert Manufacturing Company, a successful producer of agricultural machinery and equipment.

It is worth noting that the Obert name has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Germany, such as Obertal (meaning "upper valley"), Obernberg (meaning "upper mountain"), and Obernheim (meaning "upper home" or "upper village").

While the Obert surname may not have achieved widespread fame on a global scale, it has a rich history deeply rooted in German culture and heritage, with various notable figures contributing to various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Obert

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

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 Obert was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.40% 2,054
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.28% 6
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.93% 20
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.37% 8
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.60% 13
Hispanic Origin 2.42% 52

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.40% 96.70% -1.35%
Black 0.28% 0.32% -13.33%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.93% 0.72% 25.45%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.37% 0.50% -29.89%
Two or More Races 0.60% 0.72% -18.18%
Hispanic 2.42% 1.04% 79.77%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!

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

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

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

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.