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.

#329 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#9,714 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
92,986
born since 1880
1930s
peak decade

Bob currently ranks #9714 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 #9714 nationally and more common than 30% 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.

  • #329 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #9,714 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 92,986 born since 1880
  • 1930s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bob ranks #329 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,714 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 92,986 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.

#329 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#9,714 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
92,986
born since 1880
1930s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%30.2%
Bob vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Bob's 92,986 recorded births place it above 99.27% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

50 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Bob compares

92,986 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 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 252x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Bob Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 92,986 369 358,536
Peak-year births 2,826 34 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 popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1959)
2,826
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
01,0002,0003,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 7

Bob popularity over time - girls

322 total births recorded since 1913 (Bob as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 322 births
05101520 19131924193019361942194919611970 5

Bob by decade

1930s is the heaviest window (23,293 births, 25% of the file).

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

births

What this shows Peak: 1930s at 23,293 births (25% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

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 Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 406080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -60, 7.1%-113, 5.6%-146, 1.8%-114, 4.4%-146, 2.1%-90, 7%-146, 2.2%-146, 2.1%-128, 3.1%-146, 2.5%-141, 4.6%-146, 2.8%-146, 2.3%-146, 1.9%-119, 3.8%Bob-146, 3%Bob
Bob vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Bob by state

Where Bob concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Bob
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. All-time, it sits at #329 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #9,714 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 2,826 births.
Where does Bob sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bob ranks #329 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,714 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
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

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
#1100 315,053 births
Bobbie Boy
#12047 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

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Bob

Zilo #9713
8 births · Peak 2025
Lafayette #9715
4,861 births · Peak 1921
Ziko #9712
8 births · Peak 2025
Vern #9716
11,497 births · Peak 1920
Zaydence #9711
8 births · Peak 2025
Alma #9717
2,219 births · Peak 1918
Zaelo #9710
8 births · Peak 2025
Maynard #9718
14,918 births · Peak 1922

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Bob: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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).

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 August 2026.