Boys' name · since 1920

Obey

16 babies named Obey in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#30,952 of 45,481
all-time among boys
16
born since 1920
1920s
peak decade

Obey sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 16 recorded since 1920.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Obey has been recorded 16 times among boys since 1920, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 1955.

  • #30,952 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 16 born since 1920
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Obey ranks #30,952 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 16 born since 1920, peaking in the 1920s.

#30,952 of 45,481
all-time among boys
16
born since 1920
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Obey's 16 recorded births place it above 31.5% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Obey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Obey's full recorded timeline at 1943, 63% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 37% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1943, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 6 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Obey popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–1955

Last recorded 1955
Peak year (1920)
6
Annual births at peak, across 36 years of records
4.555.566.5 192019431955 5

Obey by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (6 births, 38% of the file).

1920s was Obey's strongest decade.

6 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.

Obey births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6 births (38% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Obey? ▼
16 babies have been named Obey since 1920. All-time, it sits at #30,952 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. It was last recorded in 1955. The peak year was 1920 with 6 births.
Where does Obey sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Obey ranks #30,952 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Obey most popular? ▼
Obey was most popular in the 1920s decade with 6 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
How long has the name Obey been used? ▼
Records for Obey go back to 1920, giving 36 years of history through 1955.
What names are similar to Obey? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Obed, Obert, Oberon, Obediah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Obey's data

  • Obey's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (6 total births) through the 1950s (5) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Obey

Nearby Names Like Obey

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Obey

Obed Boy
#2056 4,135 births
Obert Boy
619 births
Oberon Boy
#5557 283 births
Obediah Boy
#12077 226 births
Oberyn Boy
#10429 119 births

Compare Obey side by side: Obey vs Obed Obey vs Obert Obey vs Oberon

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Brother
16 births · Peak 1922
Hillie
16 births · Peak 1927
Rozier
16 births · Peak 1915
Arvy
16 births · Peak 1927
Bunyon
16 births · Peak 1919
Chatman
16 births · Peak 1921
Crawley
16 births · Peak 1918
Lurie
16 births · Peak 1953

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Obey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1920–1955 (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 Obey 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.