Meaning and background
The story behind Obama
Obama is a surname strongly associated with former US President Barack Obama, but its documented linguistic history deserves care. A major surname dictionary identifies Kenyan Luo and some Central African occurrences while describing their etymologies as unexplained. Another names reference proposes a Luo meaning related to bending. Because the accounts conflict, presenting 'crooked' as a proven literal translation would overstate the evidence.
- Origin
- Surname found among Kenyan Luo families and in parts of Central Africa; exact derivations disputed. Source
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About Obama
Recorded as a dog’s name
Obama appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2016 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/oʊbɑmə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/oʊbɑmə/ · primary stress on syllable 2OW2 B AA1 M AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.