Kobe
Kobe was the 519th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 578 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 222nd with 1,552 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 75 places. More babies were named Kobe in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Kobe, Japan · Japanese
Say it KOH-bee /ˈkoʊbi/
- Rank in 2025
- #519 boys, down 280 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 578boys
- Girls and boys
- 5% girls, 95% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20011,552 babies
- Total since 1880
- 23,126babies recorded
What does the name Kobe mean?
Kobe is the name of a Japanese port city, written with the characters for "god" and "door"; Wiktionary lists it as a city and a male given name. Its use as an American first name is closely tied to basketball player Kobe Bryant (1978-2020), who was reportedly named after Kobe beef. In Jewish families Kobi (Kobe) can also be a pet form of Yaakov (Jacob).
神戸 (Japanese, “Kōbe (characters 'god' + 'door')”)
How sure is this? Probable. The place-name source is documented; the naming story of Kobe Bryant is widely reported but not from a dictionary.
See also: Japanese names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kobe', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Kobe', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Kobe popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,808 | #519 | 39 | 578 |
| 2020 | #2,871 | #239 | 57 | 1,518 |
| 2010 | #9,539 | #428 | 12 | 645 |
| 2000 | #4,725 | #238 | 25 | 1,432 |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Kobe, counting every spelling?
Kobe has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #520 for boys in 2025, against #519 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed and Chosen/Chozen/Chozyn move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Kobe?
578 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kobe (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kobe 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 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kobe.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kobe?
About 22,200 people born in the US named Kobe are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 6 and 24. That makes Kobe mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Kobe by state
How common Kobe was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (2.8×), Nevada (2.1×), Georgia (2.0×), Arkansas (1.9×), Alabama (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, Connecticut, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kobe: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kobe, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kobe · Sibling names for Kobe
Questions about the name Kobe
What does Kobe mean?
Kobe means “from Kobe, Japan” (Japanese origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kobe?
Kobe was the 519th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 578 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 222nd with 1,552 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 75 places. More babies were named Kobe in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Kobe a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 5% girls, 95% boys given the name Kobe in the US.
Where is Kobe most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kobe was most common in Mississippi (1.32 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and Nevada.