# Bob (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/bob/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /bɑb/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 93,308 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 92,986 / 322 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 143, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Probably from a medieval hypocorism of Rob.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 5 | 4,620 |
| 1947 | 5 | 5,378 |
| 1948 | 5 | 5,311 |
| 1949 | 6 | 4,726 |
| 1953 | 5 | 5,737 |
| 1954 | 5 | 5,820 |
| 1955 | 6 | 5,274 |
| 1957 | 6 | 5,433 |
| 1959 | 8 | 4,666 |
| 1961 | 5 | 6,651 |
| 1962 | 5 | 6,666 |
| 1963 | 6 | 5,942 |
| 1966 | 5 | 6,656 |
| 1967 | 10 | 4,330 |
| 1970 | 5 | 8,102 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 10 | 7,649 |
| 2011 | 14 | 5,980 |
| 2012 | 8 | 8,968 |
| 2013 | 19 | 4,820 |
| 2014 | 6 | 10,887 |
| 2015 | 14 | 6,041 |
| 2016 | 13 | 6,406 |
| 2017 | 18 | 5,129 |
| 2018 | 18 | 5,134 |
| 2019 | 14 | 6,142 |
| 2020 | 12 | 6,681 |
| 2022 | 5 | 12,611 |
| 2023 | 9 | 8,345 |
| 2024 | 7 | 10,049 |
| 2025 | 7 | 9,845 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 6 | 2,538 |
| 2007 | 6 | 2,741 |
| 2008 | 9 | 2,097 |
| 2010 | 7 | 2,629 |
| 2011 | 3 | 4,647 |
| 2012 | 5 | 3,416 |
| 2013 | 4 | 3,822 |
| 2014 | 5 | 3,362 |
| 2015 | 4 | 3,908 |
| 2016 | 5 | 3,478 |
| 2017 | 6 | 3,040 |
| 2018 | 4 | 3,959 |
| 2019 | 6 | 3,013 |
| 2020 | 7 | 2,682 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,107 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: بُوب
- Armenian: Բոբ
- Bulgarian: Боб
- Catalan: Bob
- Chinese: 鮑勃 /鲍勃, 巴布
- Czech: Bob
- Danish: Bob
- Dutch: Bob
- Esperanto: Robĉjo
- French: Bob
- Georgian: ბობ
- German: Bob
- Greek: Μπομπ
- Hebrew: בוֹב
- Hindi: बॉब
- Hungarian: Bob
- Irish: Bob
- Italian: Bob
- Japanese: ボブ
- Korean: 밥

## People named Bob

- Bob Hope, American entertainer (1903–2003)
- Bob Newhart, American stand-up comedian and actor (1929–2024)
- Bob Dole, American politician (1923–2021)
- Bob Woodward, American investigative journalist (born 1943)
- Bob Beamon, American track and field athlete
- Bob Cousy, American basketball player and coach (born 1928)
- Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (1919–1996)
- Bob Bryan, American tennis player
- Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach (1932–2026)
- Bob Menendez, American lawyer and politician (born 1954)
- Bob Seger, American singer-songwriter
- Bob Morley, Australian actor

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.