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

Obie, 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 Obie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Obie in America

Obie is the 34223rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Obie surname appeared 663 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 Obie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Obie 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 Obie

The surname Obie has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ob" or "ob-ey," meaning "higher" or "elevated," and may have originally referred to someone living on higher ground or in an elevated location.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Obie can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1275, where a person named Richard Obie is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 13th century.

During the 14th century, the name Obie appeared in various written records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, which listed a Thomas Oby among the landowners in the area. The spelling variation "Oby" was quite common during this period.

In the 15th century, the name Obie gained prominence with the rise of a prominent family in Yorkshire. Sir William Obie (c. 1420-1492) was a respected landowner and knight who served under Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses. His son, John Obie (c. 1450-1518), was also a notable figure and held significant influence in the region.

The Obie surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Oby in Norfolk and Obey in Shropshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Another notable individual with the Obie surname was Robert Obie (1590-1654), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He played a significant role in the city's trade affairs during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Obie family established themselves in the county of Northamptonshire. John Obie (1712-1789) was a respected landowner and justice of the peace, while his son, Thomas Obie (1745-1823), served as the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1795.

The 19th century saw the Obie surname spread beyond England, with members of the family emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable figure from this period was Sir William Obie (1817-1892), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Newfoundland from 1877 to 1880.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Obie

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

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

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

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