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

Oby, 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 Oby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oby in America

Oby is the 71042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oby surname appeared 275 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 Oby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oby 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 Oby

The surname OBY originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English words "ofer" meaning "over" and "büa" meaning "to dwell." It was initially a descriptive name given to those who lived near or on the outskirts of a settlement or village.

Records from the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 during the reign of William the Conqueror, contain several entries that may be early variations of the name, such as "Ofrebei" and "Oferbi." These entries suggest that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname OBY was William de Oby, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202. Another early reference can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a record of landowners in England from 1272-1273, which lists a Roger de Oby.

During the 13th century, the name appeared to be concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire and Norfolk, with various spellings like "Overby" and "Ouresby" found in historical documents from that period.

In the 14th century, a notable figure was John Oby, a cleric and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex from 1351 to 1376. He played a role in the translation of the Bible into English during the reign of King Edward III.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Oby, a English Knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. He was a staunch supporter of the House of Lancaster and served under King Henry VI.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the parish records of Holbeach, Lincolnshire, with entries such as the baptism of Robert Oby in 1574 and the marriage of Thomas Oby and Margaret Hales in 1587.

Throughout the centuries, variations of the name have included Obey, Obee, and Obie, reflecting regional spellings and pronunciations. However, the core spelling of OBY has remained consistent and continues to be used today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oby

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

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

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

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