Bob

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

Bob is a male given name or a hypocorism, usually of Robert; and sometimes a diminutive of Bobby. The name most likely originated from Rob. Rhyming names were popular in the Middle Ages, so Rick became Hick or Dick, Will became Gill or Bill, and Rob became Hob, Dob, Nob, or Bob.

From Wikipedia

Bob first appears in the data in 1880 and has been recorded in 144 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1959 with 2,826 babies (rank #128 that year). In 2024 it was given to 7 boys (rank #10,012). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Bob

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Bob yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

1Destiny numberThe leaderIndependent, pioneering, drawn to going first.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
6Soul urgeThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
4PersonalityThe builderPractical, steady, gets results through hard work.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

93,300

Total babies (all years)

144

Years in the data

2,826

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In To Kill a Mockingbird: Bob Ewell — Mayella's father

Famous people named Bob

Bob HopeQ114919269 · b. 1903
Bob Newhartvoice actor · b. 1929
Bob Dolejurist · b. 1923
Bob Woodwardjournalist · b. 1943
Bob Beamonathletics competitor · b. 1946

Share your Bob story

Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Bob in 2024

Other boys' names starting with B

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1880	46	#244
1881	50	#218
1882	59	#212
1883	62	#190
1884	50	#240
1885	52	#227
1886	66	#200
1887	74	#172
1888	59	#228
1889	51	#226
1890	53	#227
1891	55	#214
1892	61	#223
1893	59	#222
1894	48	#249
1895	54	#243
1896	45	#271
1897	53	#238
1898	61	#224
1899	59	#219
1900	98	#196
1901	49	#245
1902	64	#225
1903	66	#223
1904	65	#234
1905	58	#259
1906	69	#235
1907	77	#231
1908	77	#242
1909	58	#299
1910	103	#229
1911	76	#308
1912	141	#306
1913	164	#314
1914	217	#307
1915	296	#292
1916	304	#296
1917	352	#272
1918	477	#245
1919	548	#222
1920	710	#189
1921	798	#178
1922	787	#179
1923	916	#164
1924	1,167	#142
1925	1,369	#129
1926	1,778	#102
1927	1,970	#100
1928	2,093	#95
1929	2,103	#89
1930	2,242	#88
1931	2,318	#78
1932	2,424	#79
1933	2,222	#82
1934	2,478	#75
1935	2,389	#81
1936	2,408	#77
1937	2,364	#81
1938	2,204	#94
1939	2,244	#89
1940	2,082	#99
1941	2,074	#103
1942	2,203	#110
1943	2,275	#110
1944	2,133	#109
1945	2,176	#107
1946	2,493	#107
1947	2,514	#115
1948	1,960	#141
1949	1,466	#162
1950	976	#204
1951	806	#237
1952	756	#247
1953	690	#264
1954	697	#266
1955	798	#248
1956	1,020	#228
1957	1,814	#171
1958	2,518	#139
1959	2,826	#128
1960	2,719	#131
1961	2,503	#141
1962	2,167	#151
1963	1,844	#167
1964	1,432	#198
1965	1,003	#230
1966	684	#280
1967	535	#324
1968	477	#354
1969	425	#380
1970	406	#399
1971	325	#449
1972	221	#535
1973	208	#540
1974	170	#619
1975	167	#625
1976	139	#706
1977	120	#778
1978	110	#813
1979	118	#799
1980	106	#862
1981	84	#986
1982	92	#933
1983	89	#936
1984	76	#1,023
1985	73	#1,083
1986	62	#1,218
1987	56	#1,315
1988	57	#1,375
1989	56	#1,477
1990	53	#1,567
1991	66	#1,396
1992	42	#1,920
1993	38	#2,095
1994	37	#2,185
1995	30	#2,514
1996	31	#2,489
1997	33	#2,456
1998	21	#3,502
1999	16	#4,367
2000	31	#2,871
2001	19	#4,140
2002	17	#4,526
2003	9	#7,307
2004	19	#4,438
2005	24	#3,826
2006	11	#6,969
2007	8	#9,020
2008	23	#4,279
2009	22	#4,443
2010	10	#7,649
2011	14	#5,979
2012	8	#8,968
2013	19	#4,820
2014	6	#10,886
2015	14	#6,040
2016	13	#6,404
2017	18	#5,128
2018	18	#5,132
2019	14	#6,138
2020	12	#6,677
2022	5	#12,607
2023	9	#8,340
2024	7	#10,012