Total births
92,986
Boys' name · since 1880
Bob
Bob has 92,986 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1959 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #9894
- among boys today
- 92,986
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other boys
Bob currently ranks #9894 among boys' names in America, with 92,986 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bob has been recorded 92,986 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #9894 nationally and more common than 31% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1930s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #9894 among boys today
- 92,986 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
- 31% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bob is currently the #9894 boys' name in America, more common than 31% of boys - 92,986 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #9894
- among boys today
- 92,986
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other boys
Bob vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#9894
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 31% of names given to boys today.
1930s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Bob was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
2,826 babies were named Bob in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Bob compares
92,986 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bob's all-time total is 253x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bob | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 92,986 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,826 | 23 | 22,252 |
Bob's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bob's full recorded timeline at 1952, 31% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 69% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2022, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1959 peak of 2,826 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bob at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1959
Current rank
#9,894
Active since
1880
Bob popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 2,826
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bob popularity over time - girls
322 total births recorded since 1913 (Bob as girls' name)
Bob by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Bob's strongest decade.
23,293 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Bob births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 569
1880s
569 births
- 1890s 548
1890s
548 births
- 1900s 681
1900s
681 births
- 1910s 2,678
1910s
2,678 births
- 1920s
1920s
13,691 births
- 1930s
1930s
23,293 births
- 1940s
1940s
21,376 births
- 1950s
1950s
12,902 births
- 1960s
1960s
13,789 births
- 1970s 1,983
1970s
1,983 births
- 1980s 751
1980s
751 births
- 1990s 367
1990s
367 births
- 2000s 184
2000s
184 births
- 2010s 134
2010s
134 births
- 2020s 40
2020s
40 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 23,293 births (25% of all-time use).
How Bob compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bob's total volume
Bob vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Bob by state
Where Bob concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,158 | 13.1% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 6,191 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 5,419 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Texas | | 4,798 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 4,584 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 4,212 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 4,127 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Washington | | 3,478 | 3.7% |
California share of Bob's total US births 13.1%
Even split
12,158 of 92,986 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Bob appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bob? ▼
92,986 babies have been named Bob since 1880. It currently ranks #9894 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 2,826 births.
When was Bob most popular? ▼
Bob was most popular in the 1930s decade with 23,293 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Bob most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bob are California (12,158 births), Illinois (6,191 births), Ohio (5,419 births).
How long has the name Bob been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bob since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Bob? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bobby, Bobbie, Bobie, Boby, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Bob's data
- Bob's decade-level peak was the 1930s (23,293 total births); usage has since declined to 40 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Bobs (12,158 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bob
Nearby Names Like Bob
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bob
Bobby Boy
#1115 315,053 births
Bobbie Boy
18,422 births
Bobie Boy
377 births
Boby Boy
374 births
Bobak Boy
122 births
Compare Bob side by side: Bob vs Bobby Bob vs Bobbie Bob vs Bobie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bob
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bob: #9894 Boys' Name - 92,986 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bob. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bob draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.