The baby name Obediah is a Male name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced oh-buh-DY-uh (IPA: /oʊbəˈdaɪə/ or /ɒbəˈdaɪə/).
Obediah is Hebrew in Origin.
The baby name Obediah is a Male name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced oh-buh-DY-uh (IPA: /oʊbəˈdaɪə/ or /ɒbəˈdaɪə/).
Obediah is Hebrew in Origin.
Obediah is an English variant spelling of Obadiah, from the Hebrew Ovadya (עֹבַדְיָה), formed by ‘oved “servant” + Yah(u), the divine name, thus “servant of Yahweh” or “worshiper of God.” Related forms include Obadiah (standard English), Ovadia/Ovadya/Ovadiah (Hebrew transliterations), and the Greco-Latin Abdias, seen as Abdías in Spanish and Portuguese and Abdias/Abdia in French and Italian. Informal short forms include Obie, Obi, and Diah.
The name appears in the Hebrew Bible for multiple figures, especially the prophet whose Book of Obadiah is the shortest in the Old Testament. It flourished in 16th–17th‑century England among Puritans, then traveled to colonial America, where it surfaces in early New England records. Usage waned in the 19th and 20th centuries but survives in religious communities; the Hebrew form Ovadia remains familiar in Jewish circles. Today Obediah feels rare, antique, and distinct.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JM | 0 | #93 | 1 | 3,714 | |
| BW | Boys | 0 | #153 | 2 | 4,685 |
| NA | Boys | 0 | #253 | 1 | 6,830 |
| NG | 0 | #272 | 1 | 5,926 | |
| JM | Boys | 0 | #292 | 2 | 6,876 |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #331 | 1 | 9,639 |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #821 | 6 | 15,093 |
| United States | Boys | 2024 | #887 | 6 | 7,044 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #931 | 21 | 16,906 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,168 | 11 | 25,619 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,182 | 1 | 25,439 |
Obediah is popular in 8 countries — most recent births per country:
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