Boys' name · since 1881
Obe
Obe has 73 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1916 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #19,564 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 73
- born since 1881
- 1920s
- peak decade
73 boys have been named Obe since 1881, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Obe has 73 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 1948.
- #19,564 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 73 born since 1881
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Obe ranks #19,564 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 73 born since 1881, peaking in the 1920s.
- #19,564 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 73
- born since 1881
- 1920s
- peak decade
Obe's 73 recorded births place it above 56.91% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Obe's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Obe's SSA record in two at 1922 and the more recent half accounts for 49% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 51%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1916 peak of 9, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Obe popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–1948
- Peak year (1916)
- 9
- Annual births at peak, across 68 years of records
Obe by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (35 births, 48% of the file).
1920s was Obe's strongest decade.
35 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 48% of all-time use.
Obe births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
16 births
- 1910s
1910s
16 births
- 1920s
1920s
35 births
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 35 births (48% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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When was Obe most popular? ▼
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What to do with Obe's data
- Obe's decade-level peak was the 1920s (35 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 1940s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Obe
Nearby Names Like Obe
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Obe
Compare Obe side by side: Obe vs Obed Obe vs Obert Obe vs Oberon
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Obe: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1916)
Similar record span (~67 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–1948 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Obe draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.