Unisex name · since 1880

Obie

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 4,165 babies named Obie, peaking in 1924. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#2,021 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,686 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,165
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Obie currently ranks #7686 among unisex names in America, with 4,165 babies recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Obie has been recorded 4,165 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #7686 nationally and more common than 45% of boys, 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 1880 to 2025.

  • #2,021 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #7,686 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,165 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Obie ranks #2,021 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,686 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,165 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#2,021 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,686 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,165
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%44.8%
Obie vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Obie's 4,165 recorded births place it above 95.55% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

16 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Obie compares

4,165 Top 14% higher than 86% of 13,930 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

Obie's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Obie Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,165 369 358,536
Peak-year births 88 34 22,252

Obie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Obie's full recorded timeline at 1952, 34% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 66% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1924 peak of 88 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Obie popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1924)
88
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
020406080100 188018981916193419521970198820082025 10

Obie popularity over time - girls

271 total births recorded since 1900 (Obie as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 271 births
468101214 19001909191419191925193119411948 5

Obie by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (680 births, 16% of the file).

1920s was Obie's strongest decade.

680 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.

Obie births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 680 births (16% of all-time use).

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

How Obie compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Obie's total volume

Obie vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -108, 4.1%-146, 3.1%-146, 2.2%-28, 14.7%-140, 2.9%-43, 6.9%-44, 13.1%-68, 3.9%-111, 8.6%-122, 1.7%-26, 11.9%-146, 3.3%-53, 4.5%-58, 3.5%-62, 4.9%Obie-146, 2.1%Obie
Obie vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Obie by state

Where Obie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Obie
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
383 9.2%
#2 Georgia
283 6.8%
#3 Alabama
266 6.4%
#4 Mississippi
159 3.8%
#5 Arkansas
102 2.4%
#6 Kentucky
91 2.2%
#7 North Carolina
57 1.4%
#8 Louisiana
41 1.0%
Texas share of Obie's total US births 9.2%
Even split

383 of 4,165 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.

Obie appears in 16 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Obie? ▼
4,165 babies have been named Obie since 1880. All-time, it sits at #2,021 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #7,686 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1924 with 88 births.
Where does Obie sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Obie ranks #2,021 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,686 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Obie most popular? ▼
Obie was most popular in the 1920s decade with 680 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Obie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Obie are Texas (383 births), Georgia (283 births), Alabama (266 births).
Is Obie a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Obie is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 4,165 births, and as a girl's name it has 271 births.
How long has the name Obie been used? ▼
Records for Obie go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Obie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Obinna, Obi, Obidiah, Obiora, and 2 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Obie's data

  • Obie's decade-level peak was the 1920s (680 total births); usage has since declined to 93 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Obies (383 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

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

Keep exploring Obie

Nearby Names Like Obie

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

Obinna Boy
#5693 874 births
Obi Boy
#3831 299 births
Obidiah Boy
16 births
Obiora Boy
6 births
Obichukwu Boy
5 births

Compare Obie side by side: Obie vs Obinna Obie vs Obi Obie vs Obidiah

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Obie

Godfrey #7685
3,245 births · Peak 1918
Huston #7687
2,714 births · Peak 1922
Early #7684
3,989 births · Peak 1927
Mitchel #7688
13,287 births · Peak 1994
Thornton #7683
3,132 births · Peak 1921
Artie #7689
4,417 births · Peak 1959
Phil #7682
20,036 births · Peak 1959
Knute #7690
691 births · Peak 1931

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Obie: 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, 1880–2025 (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 Obie 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.