Total births
226
Boys' name · since 1912
Obediah
Since 1912, U.S. Social Security records show 226 babies named Obediah, peaking in 1954. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #11008
- among boys today
- 226
- born since 1912
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
226 babies have been named Obediah since 1912, making it today's #11008 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Obediah recorded 226 times among boys since 1912, holding rank #11008 nationally today, ahead of 23% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #11008 among boys today
- 226 born since 1912
- 2020s peak decade
- 23% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Obediah is currently the #11008 boys' name in America, more common than 23% of boys - 226 born since 1912, peaking in the 2020s.
- #11008
- among boys today
- 226
- born since 1912
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
Obediah vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#11008
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 23% of names given to boys today.
2020s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Obediah was born in this single decade.
1954
Single peak year
8 babies were named Obediah in 1954 - its busiest year on record.
How Obediah compares
226 40th percentile among 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Obediah's all-time total is 38% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Obediah | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 226 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8 | 23 | 22,252 |
Obediah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Obediah's full recorded timeline at 1977, 50% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 50% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1919, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1954 peak of 8 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Obediah at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1954
Current rank
#11,008
Active since
1912
Obediah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (1954)
- 8
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Obediah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Obediah's strongest decade.
31 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Obediah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
24 births
- 1920s
1920s
23 births
- 1930s
1930s
30 births
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
- 1950s
1950s
20 births
- 1970s
1970s
26 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s
1990s
15 births
- 2000s
2000s
16 births
- 2010s
2010s
30 births
- 2020s
2020s
31 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 31 births (14% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Obediah? ▼
226 babies have been named Obediah since 1912. It currently ranks #11008 among boys. The peak year was 1954 with 8 births.
When was Obediah most popular? ▼
Obediah was most popular in the 2020s decade with 31 total births. The single peak year was 1954.
How long has the name Obediah been used? ▼
Records for Obediah go back to 1912, giving 114 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Obediah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Obed, Obert, Oberon, Oberyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
Keep exploring Obediah
Nearby Names Like Obediah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Obediah
Obed Boy
#1939 4,135 births
Obert Boy
619 births
Oberon Boy
#3776 283 births
Oberyn Boy
#10669 119 births
Obe Boy
73 births
Compare Obediah side by side: Obediah vs Obed Obediah vs Obert Obediah vs Oberon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Obediah
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1912–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Obediah: #11008 Boys' Name - 226 Births, Peak 1954." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/obediah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Obediah 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 June 2026.