Obi
Boy · OH-bee · Igbo
Obi is a boys' name of Igbo origin, meaning “heart”. In 2025 it ranked 1,133rd for boys in the UK (28 babies) and 3,756th for boys in the US (29 babies).
What does Obi mean?
Igbo: also a short form of names such as Obinna
“heart”
In Igbo obi means heart, and also the main house of a family compound; it begins names such as Obinna, 'father's heart'.
- Say it
- OH-bee
More on Wiktionary.
Is Obi a girl's or a boy's name?
Obi is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 28 boys in the UK and 29 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Obi in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,133among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 28about 1 in 11,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 28 boys in the UK were named Obi, making it the 1,133rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,105th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 45 boys.
It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Obi than any year since 2020.
Half of all the boys named Obi in the UK since 1996 were born between 2014 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 55 boys in the UK were given Obi or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #646, up from #1,133 for this spelling alone.
- Obi 28
- Obie 27
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,066th in England and Wales.
Obi in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28 | #1,133 |
| 2024 | 32 | #1,025 |
| 2023 | 38 | #913 |
| 2022 | 45 | #792 |
| 2021 | 31 | #1,041 |
| 2020 | 27 | #1,105 |
| 2019 | 25 | #1,159 |
| 2018 | 21 | #1,327 |
| 2017 | 21 | #1,331 |
| 2016 | 23 | #1,268 |
| 2015 | 12 | #1,990 |
| 2014 | 10 | #2,207 |
| 2013 | 9 | #2,334 |
| 2012 | 11 | #2,080 |
| 2011 | 13 | #1,788 |
| 2010 | 8 | #2,534 |
| 2009 | 9 | #2,241 |
| 2008 | 11 | #1,930 |
| 2007 | 6 | #2,873 |
| 2006 | 10 | #1,845 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 3 | #3,792 |
| 2003 | 4 | #2,990 |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 3 | #3,255 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 3 | #3,043 |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
How popular is Obi in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,756among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 29about 1 in 59,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 132% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 29 boys in the US were named Obi, making it the 3,756th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,976th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 37 boys. It first appears in the records in 2007.
Half of all the boys named Obi in the US since 1880 were born between 2016 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Obi in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | #3,756 |
| 2024 | 29 | #3,791 |
| 2023 | 37 | #3,226 |
| 2022 | 37 | #3,214 |
| 2021 | 35 | #3,295 |
| 2020 | 14 | #5,976 |
| 2019 | 15 | #5,808 |
| 2018 | 12 | #6,699 |
| 2017 | 10 | #7,542 |
| 2016 | 7 | #9,659 |
| 2015 | 10 | #7,486 |
| 2014 | 12 | #6,627 |
| 2013 | 11 | #7,021 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 6 | #10,801 |
| 2010 | 8 | #8,797 |
| 2009 | 14 | #6,091 |
| 2008 | 6 | #11,030 |
| 2007 | 7 | #9,782 |
Names like Obi
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Oluwadarasimi Kamsiyochukwu Tobechukwu Oluwafikayomi Oluwatobi Chidubem Naetochukwu Obaloluwa Somtochukwu Achim Ifechukwu Oluwatobiloba
Other spellings of Obi
More Igbo names
Amara Munachimso Chimamanda Jidenna Chizaram Amarachi Mazi Adanna Adaeze Chidera Chisom Tobenna Chiziterem Lotanna Kosisochukwu Chikaima