The first name Bob
A boy’s name.
Pronounced /bɑb/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Probably from a medieval hypocorism of Rob.
Bob is a short form of
.From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Bob last appeared in the official list in 2023, given to 4 boys. It peaked in 2008, with 9 births (#2,097).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Bob with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Bob at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 7 boys born in the United States were named Bob, the 9,845th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1959, when 2,826 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Bob in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Bob in Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish, Vietnamese and Welsh too.
Famous people named Bob
297 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Bob HopeAmerican entertainer (1903–2003)
- Bob NewhartAmerican stand-up comedian and actor (1929–2024)
- Bob DoleAmerican politician (1923–2021)
- Bob WoodwardAmerican investigative journalist (born 1943)
- Bob BeamonAmerican track and field athlete, born 1946
- Bob CousyAmerican basketball player and coach (born 1928)
- Bob PaisleyEnglish footballer and manager (1919–1996)
- Bob BryanAmerican tennis player, born 1978
- Bob PettitAmerican basketball player and coach (1932–2026)
- Bob MenendezAmerican lawyer and politician (born 1954)
- Bob SegerAmerican singer-songwriter, born 1945
- Bob MorleyAustralian actor, born 1984
Questions
- What does the name Bob mean?
- Probably from a medieval hypocorism of Rob.
- How popular is the name Bob?
- In 2023, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Bob, ranking 4,107th. Its peak was 2008, with 9 births.
- Is Bob a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 93,308 US babies named Bob since 1880 were boys.
- When was Bob most popular?
- 1959 in the United States, when 2,826 babies were named Bob, its highest rank at 128th.
- How do you pronounce Bob?
- Bob is /bɑb/, one syllable.
- Is Bob also a surname?
- Yes. Bob is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.