Obama (surname)

Obama
Origin
Language(s)	Fang and Luo, Japanese
Meaning	Limping (Luo); Little beach (Japanese)
Region of origin	African Great Lakes, Middle Africa, Japan

Last updated March 22, 2025

Obama is a surname. It most commonly refers to Barack Obama (born 1961), the 44th president of the United States.

Origins

Obama is a common Fang surname in western Central Africa.
Obama is a common Luo surname. It means "to lean", "to bend",^[1] "bent over", or "limping".^[2]
Obama, also translated as Ohama or Kohama, (小浜 or 小濱) is a Japanese surname literally meaning "little beach" or "little island". It was the surname of a samurai clan.^[3]

Notable people with this surname

Barack Obama (born 1961), 44th president of the United States
- Family of Barack Obama, an extended family of American and Kenyan heritage, including:
  - Michelle Obama (born 1964), wife of Barack Obama, and Vice President for Community and External Affairs for the University of Chicago Hospitals
  - Barack Obama Sr. (1936–1982), Kenyan economist and father to Barack Obama
  - Sarah Onyango Obama (1922–2021), also known as Sarah Ogwei, Kenyan educator and philanthropist, the third wife of Barack Obama's paternal grandfather
  - Auma Obama (born 1960), paternal half-sister of Barack Obama
  - Malik Obama (born 1958), paternal half-brother of Barack Obama
Florent Obama (born 1991), a Cameroonian footballer
Francisco Pascual Obama Asue, Equatoguinean prime minister 2016–23
Jōkō Obama (小浜浄鉱, 1886–1948), a Japanese bureaucrat and politician
Natsuki Obama (小濱なつき, born 1984), a Japanese fashion model and actor
Ricardo Mangue Obama Nfubea (born 1961), Equatoguinean prime minister 2006–08
Youssef Obama (born 1994), an Egyptian footballer

References

↑ "What do the words "Barack" and "Obama" literally mean?". Dictionary.com . 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on November 20, 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
↑ Bearak, Max (2021-12-01). "The fascinating tribal tradition that gave Obama his last name". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-05-17.
↑ Jennings, Ken (2014-11-24). "Why Does a Japanese Town Share a Name With a U.S. President?". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2023-05-17.

This page lists people with the surname Obama.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "What do the words "Barack" and "Obama" literally mean?". Dictionary.com . 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on November 20, 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2016.

[2] Bearak, Max (2021-12-01). "The fascinating tribal tradition that gave Obama his last name". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-05-17.

[3] Jennings, Ken (2014-11-24). "Why Does a Japanese Town Share a Name With a U.S. President?". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2023-05-17.

[1]

[2]

[3]

Obama (surname)

Contents

Origins

Notable people with this surname

See also

References