Obed means servant or worshipper — from the Hebrew. In the Bible, Obed IS the son of Ruth AND Boaz — King David's grandfather. The most directly royal-genealogy servant. Two syllables of Ruth-AND-Boaz's-son, David's-grandfather, and Hebrew servant-worshipper.
Obed IS Ruth AND Boaz's son — King David's grandfather. The most direct royal genealogy.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Biblical — Ruth 4:17.
3
Today
Obed remains a beloved choice, ranking #1936 in the US. 4,063 babies have been named Obed since 1880.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
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How popular is Obed?
2005peak year
Today, Obed is rarely chosen — ranked well outside the top 1,000 (around #1936), with only about 79 babies given the name per year. But it wasn't always this way. At its peak in 2005, 137 babies were given the name (ranked #1168 nationally). Its strongest stretch was the 2000s. Obed's usage has held roughly steady recently. In all, around 4,063 babies have been registered as Obed since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Obed's Life Path 6 is the nurturer's number — servant nurturing. People named Obed tend to be gentle, humble, and gifted at being Ruth's son AND David's grandfather.
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Ruth's son AND David's grandfather
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Boaz
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Royal-genealogy
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Hebrew-servant
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Humble-gentle
O6
B2
E5
D4
Sum: 17 → Life path 8
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Personality of Obed
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Built for success
They don't dream of achievement — they plan for it.
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Commanding presence
They walk in and people notice.
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Strategic mind
Always three moves ahead.
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Unbreakable
Setbacks sharpen them. Resilience is in their DNA.
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