Bobby
Bobby was the 1097th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 195 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 23rd; the most babies were born in 1937 (7,745). Over the last ten years it has moved down 357 places. More babies were named Bobby in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Robert · English, Germanic
Say it BAH-bee /ˈbɑbi/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,097 boys, down 247 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 195boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19377,745 babies
- Total since 1880
- 324,728babies recorded
What does the name Bobby mean?
Bobby is a pet form of Bob, the rhyming short form of Robert (and of Roberta), as Wiktionary notes. Robert is a Germanic name from hrōd 'fame' and beraht 'bright', so 'bright fame'. In Britain police officers are called 'bobbies' after Sir Robert Peel, who founded the Metropolitan Police. Bobby was very popular in the US in the 1930s to 1950s.
hrōd (Old High German, “fame”)beraht (Old High German, “bright”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Robert, Bob, Rob, Robbie, Roberta.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean light, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bobby', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Robert', DMNES (Durham University)
Bobby popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 9,675 since 1900, 12 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,097 | 195 |
| 2020 | #850 | 268 |
| 2010 | #552 | 458 |
| 2000 | #364 | 730 |
| 1990 | #185 | 1,677 |
| 1980 | #109 | 2,724 |
| 1970 | #87 | 3,636 |
| 1960 | #73 | 5,656 |
| 1950 | #65 | 5,019 |
| 1940 | #30 | 6,882 |
| 1930 | #41 | 5,181 |
| 1920 | #468 | 170 |
| 1910 | #1,209 | 8 |
| 1900 | #1,061 | 7 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Bobby, counting every spelling?
Bobby has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,042 for boys in 2025, against #1,097 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Bobby?
195 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bobby (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bobby born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 43 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bobby.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bobby?
About 174,000 people born in the US named Bobby are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 47 and 73. That makes Bobby a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bobby by state
How common Bobby was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (2.1×), Georgia (2.0×), Kentucky (1.9×), Alabama (1.8×), Louisiana (1.7×). In 27 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bobby: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bobby, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bobby · Sibling names for Bobby
Bobby is also a nickname for Robert and Bob.
Questions about the name Bobby
What does Bobby mean?
Bobby means “pet form of Robert” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bobby?
Bobby was the 1097th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 195 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 23rd; the most babies were born in 1937 (7,745). Over the last ten years it has moved down 357 places. More babies were named Bobby in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Bobby a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bobby in the US.
Where is Bobby most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bobby was most common in Mississippi (0.33 per 1,000 boys), followed by Tennessee and Georgia.