Meaning and background
The story behind Obi
Obi has a genuine Igbo personal-name use: the word and name element *óbì* means 'heart'. That meaning is supported both by a naming reference and by an Igbo-language dictionary. Separately, English speakers may know Obi as the shortened first part of the Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi, but that pop-culture association does not change the Igbo word's etymology.
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Everyday moments“Obi, come here!”
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About Obi
Recorded as a dog’s name
Obi appears in 56 dog licence records in the 2026 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.
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Sources and research notes (1)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.