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Obama

oh-BAH-muh /oʊˈbɑmə/

At a glance

U.S. rank 2025
Not in the 2025 data · last seen 2009 (#5,554)
Babies in 2009
16 (<0.01% of boys)
Peak
#5,554 in 2009
First recorded
2008

Meaning of Obama

The name Obama carries the luminous warmth of a Tuscan sunset across olive groves—a gentle metaphor for its Luo origin in Kenya, where in the Dholuo tongue it suggests a graceful bend or an unexpected turn in life’s journey. Though once purely a surname, it blossomed anew in the headlines and hearts of millions through Barack Obama, whose steady resolve cast a hopeful shadow across the globe. Making its quiet debut on U.S. birth charts after the 2008 election, it nudged into the top 900 by 2009 with sixteen newborns—a modest yet spirited cameo in America’s registry. It whispers of resilience and global citizenship, balancing tradition and innovation like a well-aged chianti, and hints at a child destined to bend adversity with a knowing smile—though he’ll likely forgo sandbox campaigns in favor of carefree laughter. Pronounced oh-BAH-muh (/oʊˈbɑmə/), this name brings both history and heart to a modern family.

How to pronounce Obama

English

Popularity of Obama in the U.S.

Obama was last recorded in the U.S. in 2009, ranked #5,554 with 16 babies. It first appears in the records in 2008.

Bar and line chart: Obama in the U.S., 2008–2009. Bars: boys given the name each year, most 16 in 2009. Line: rank among boy names, peak #5,554 in 2009.
  • Boys named Obama (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 2008–2009. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 2008⁠–⁠2009 2 rows
Obama: babies and rank among boy names in the U.S. by year
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
2009165,554▲ 516
2008146,070new

Notable people named Obama

  • Obama is the stage name of Italian drag performer Baye Dame Dia, known for competing on Big Brother Italy season 15 and Drag Race Italia season 2.