Given name & surname
Obey
“having a big heart”·“a well-behaved and complying child”·“a well-behaved man”
Obey is a variant of Obi. One interpretation is “having a big heart.” Obey is a variant of Obedience. Interpretations include “a well-behaved and complying child” (American) and “a well-behaved man” (American). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Obey is a variant of Obi. One interpretation is “having a big heart.” Obey is a variant of Obedience. Interpretations include “a well-behaved and complying child” (American) and “a well-behaved man” (American). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Obey is a variant of Obedience. An origin associated with Obedience is American.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1920. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Obey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 16
- 16 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1955. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 739 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Obey’s family of names
Obey has a related form in Obi. Obey has a related form in Obedience.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Obey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Olan
“the last of the ancestors”
>99% boys
Odell
“a sweet melody” · “one who is wealthy”
98% boys · 2% girls
Olen
“filled with happiness”
>99% boys
Ottis
“a wealthy man” · “one who is acute”
>99% boys
Oran
“surrounded by light” · “a pale-skinned man”
>99% boys
Orville
“from the gold town”
>99% boys
Omer
“a flourishing man; one who is well-spoken”
99% boys · 1% girls
Odie
“a sweet melody” · “one who is wealthy”
>99% boys