2000
#12,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Obert
A French habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a small village or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,618 Americans carry the last name Obert. That puts it at #12,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,922 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Obert 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
2.6K
1 in 130,922
Census rank
#12,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,283 bearers of the surname Obert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Obert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obert
Among Census respondents with the surname Obert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Obert 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 Obert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,111
- Two or more races3.1% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 27
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Obert
Obert appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,153
-61 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 1,215 places
2020
#12,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,283
+130 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 1,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,782 | 2,214 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,997 | 2,153 | 0.73 | -61 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,215 places |
| 2020 | #12,884 | 2,283 | 0.76 | +130 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 1,113 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 Obert 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 | #13,997 | #12,884 | 8.0% |
| Count | 2,153 | 2,283 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.76 | 4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Obert bearers went from 2,153 to 2,283 (+6.0% change). The surname moved up 1,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,997 to #12,884.
FAQ
Obert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Obert?
Name Census estimates that about 2,618 living Americans carry the surname Obert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,922 residents.
How common is Obert?
Obert ranks #12,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,283 people with the surname Obert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Obert.
Has Obert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Obert went from 2,153 recorded bearers to 2,283. That is an increase of 130 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,997 to #12,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Obert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Obert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Obert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Obert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Obert (2000, 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 Obert mean?
A French habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a small village or settlement. 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 Obert (0.76 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 have the surname Obert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.