Obadiah

Hebrew
"servant of God"

Obadiah Origin and Meaning

The name Obadiah is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "servant of God".

For the seriously audacious biblical baby namer who wants to move beyond Elijah and Josiah, this name has considerable old-fangled charm. Obadiah, who gave his name to one of the shortest books in the Bible, was a rich man who had the gift of prophecy. There are several other men named Obadiah in the Bible, as well as a Saint Obadiah. There have been two prominent U.S. senators named Obadiah.

In literature, there is an Obadiah in Laurence Sterne's novel Tristan Shandy, one in Tobias Smollett's The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, and another in Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers--as well as a villain in the Iron Man series.

# 1683 on Nameberry

Obadiah Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Obadiah Popularity

Famous People Named Obadiah

  • Obadiah
    grandson of Uzzi, brother of Michael, of the tribe of Issachar (1 Chr. 7:3)
  • Obadiah
    follower of David (1 Chr. 12:9)
  • Obadiah
    prince in King Jehoshaphat's day (2 Chr. 17:7)
  • Obadiah
    Levite overseer of Temple repairers in King Josiah's day (2 Chr. 34:12)
  • Obadiah
    son of Azel, descendant of King Saul's son Jonathan (1 Chr. 8:38)
  • Obadiah
    of the House of David (1 Chr. 3:21)
  • Obadiah
    Levite who dwelt at Jerusalem, son of Shemaiah (1 Chr. 9:16)
  • Obadiah
    son of Jehiel; returned to Israel with Ezra (Ezra 8:9)
  • Obadiah ben Abraham
    Italian rabbi and commentator on the Mishnah
  • Obadiah German
    U.S. Senator from New York
  • Obadiah Gardner
    U.S. Senator from Maine
  • Obadiah Tarumbwa
    Zimbabwean footballer
  • Obadiah Nelson "Obie" Trotter
    American,Hungarian basketball player
  • Obadiah ben Abraham of Bartenura
    Italian rabbi
  • Obadiah the Proselyte
    Italian,Jewish convert
  • Obadiah Newcomb Bush
    American prospector; founder of the Bush dynasty
  • Obadiah Parker
    stage name of Mat Weddle, American singer,songwriter
  • Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno
    Italian rabbi

Obadiah in Pop Culture

  • Obadiah Stane
    villain in the Iron Man series
  • Obadiah Starbuck
    protagonist of a series of picture books about the life of a Quaker boy on Nantucket Island
  • Obadiah Prim
    Quaker guardian of Anne Lovely in Susanna Centlivre's play A Bold Stroke for a Wife (1718)
  • Lieutenant Obadiah Lismahago
    fantastic Scottish soldier in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771) by Tobias Smollett
  • Obadiah Hakeswill
    character in the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell