Bob
Bob was given to 7 boys in 2025, #9,841 among boys’ names; 93,308 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 35,000 Americans named Bob and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (38% of everyone recorded); the median is 68 years old and half are between 64 and 80.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Bob by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Bob mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Bob is “a diminutive of the male given name Robert.”
Probably from a medieval hypocorism of Rob.
/bɑb/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Bob?
#9,841 among boys’ names, 2025
Bob fell from #6,037 in 2015 to #9,841 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 7.3 to 4.1 per million.
2,834 babies in 1959, the peak
Bob peaked in 1959, when 2,834 babies were given it (2,826 boys, #128 among boys’ names). The 7 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #9,841 | under 0.01 |
| 2024 | 7 | #10,044 | under 0.01 |
| 2023 | 9 | #8,340 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 5 | #12,605 | under 0.01 |
| 2020 | 12 | #6,677 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 14 | #6,137 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 18 | #5,130 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 18 | #5,125 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6,401 | 0.01 |
| 2015 | 14 | #6,037 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6 | #10,881 | under 0.01 |
| 2013 | 19 | #4,817 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,962 | under 0.01 |
| 2011 | 14 | #5,974 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 10 | #7,643 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 22 | #4,442 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 23 | #4,276 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 8 | #9,014 | under 0.01 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,503 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 24 | #3,822 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 19 | #4,435 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 9 | #7,300 | under 0.01 |
| 2002 | 17 | #4,520 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 19 | #4,135 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 31 | #2,865 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 16 | #4,362 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 21 | #3,498 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 33 | #2,452 | 0.02 |
| 1996 | 31 | #2,484 | 0.02 |
| 1995 | 30 | #2,511 | 0.02 |
| 1994 | 37 | #2,180 | 0.02 |
| 1993 | 38 | #2,090 | 0.02 |
| 1992 | 42 | #1,915 | 0.02 |
| 1991 | 66 | #1,390 | 0.03 |
| 1990 | 53 | #1,562 | 0.03 |
| 1989 | 56 | #1,472 | 0.03 |
| 1988 | 57 | #1,371 | 0.03 |
| 1987 | 56 | #1,314 | 0.03 |
| 1986 | 62 | #1,218 | 0.03 |
| 1985 | 73 | #1,082 | 0.04 |
| 1984 | 76 | #1,022 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 89 | #936 | 0.05 |
| 1982 | 92 | #933 | 0.05 |
| 1981 | 84 | #986 | 0.05 |
| 1980 | 106 | #861 | 0.06 |
| 1979 | 118 | #798 | 0.07 |
| 1978 | 110 | #813 | 0.07 |
| 1977 | 120 | #778 | 0.07 |
| 1976 | 139 | #706 | 0.09 |
| 1975 | 167 | #625 | 0.11 |
| 1974 | 170 | #618 | 0.11 |
| 1973 | 207 | #542 | 0.13 |
| 1972 | 221 | #535 | 0.14 |
| 1971 | 325 | #449 | 0.18 |
| 1970 | 406 | #399 | 0.22 |
| 1969 | 425 | #380 | 0.24 |
| 1968 | 477 | #354 | 0.27 |
| 1967 | 535 | #324 | 0.31 |
| 1966 | 684 | #280 | 0.38 |
| 1965 | 1,003 | #230 | 0.54 |
| 1964 | 1,432 | #198 | 0.72 |
| 1963 | 1,847 | #167 | 0.91 |
| 1962 | 2,163 | #152 | 1.0 |
| 1961 | 2,504 | #141 | 1.2 |
| 1960 | 2,719 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1959 | 2,826 | #128 | 1.3 |
| 1958 | 2,518 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 1957 | 1,814 | #171 | 0.84 |
| 1956 | 1,020 | #228 | 0.48 |
| 1955 | 799 | #248 | 0.39 |
| 1954 | 697 | #266 | 0.34 |
| 1953 | 690 | #264 | 0.35 |
| 1952 | 756 | #247 | 0.39 |
| 1951 | 806 | #237 | 0.43 |
| 1950 | 976 | #204 | 0.55 |
| 1949 | 1,466 | #162 | 0.83 |
| 1948 | 1,960 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1947 | 2,514 | #115 | 1.4 |
| 1946 | 2,493 | #107 | 1.5 |
| 1945 | 2,176 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1944 | 2,133 | #109 | 1.6 |
| 1943 | 2,275 | #110 | 1.6 |
| 1942 | 2,203 | #110 | 1.6 |
| 1941 | 2,074 | #103 | 1.7 |
| 1940 | 2,082 | #99 | 1.8 |
| 1939 | 2,244 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1938 | 2,204 | #94 | 2.0 |
| 1937 | 2,364 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1936 | 2,408 | #77 | 2.3 |
| 1935 | 2,389 | #81 | 2.3 |
| 1934 | 2,478 | #75 | 2.4 |
| 1933 | 2,222 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1932 | 2,424 | #79 | 2.3 |
| 1931 | 2,318 | #78 | 2.2 |
| 1930 | 2,242 | #88 | 2.0 |
| 1929 | 2,103 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1928 | 2,093 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 1927 | 1,970 | #100 | 1.7 |
| 1926 | 1,778 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 1925 | 1,369 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1924 | 1,167 | #142 | 1.0 |
| 1923 | 916 | #164 | 0.84 |
| 1922 | 787 | #179 | 0.72 |
| 1921 | 798 | #178 | 0.72 |
| 1920 | 710 | #189 | 0.67 |
| 1919 | 548 | #222 | 0.56 |
| 1918 | 477 | #245 | 0.47 |
| 1917 | 352 | #272 | 0.38 |
| 1916 | 304 | #296 | 0.34 |
| 1915 | 296 | #292 | 0.35 |
| 1914 | 217 | #307 | 0.33 |
| 1913 | 164 | #314 | 0.32 |
| 1912 | 141 | #306 | 0.33 |
| 1911 | 76 | #308 | 0.34 |
| 1910 | 103 | #229 | 0.53 |
| 1909 | 58 | #299 | 0.35 |
| 1908 | 77 | #242 | 0.50 |
| 1907 | 77 | #231 | 0.52 |
| 1906 | 69 | #235 | 0.52 |
| 1905 | 58 | #259 | 0.44 |
| 1904 | 65 | #234 | 0.51 |
| 1903 | 66 | #223 | 0.55 |
| 1902 | 64 | #225 | 0.52 |
| 1901 | 49 | #245 | 0.46 |
| 1900 | 98 | #196 | 0.65 |
| 1899 | 59 | #219 | 0.56 |
| 1898 | 61 | #224 | 0.50 |
| 1897 | 53 | #238 | 0.47 |
| 1896 | 45 | #271 | 0.38 |
| 1895 | 54 | #243 | 0.46 |
| 1894 | 48 | #249 | 0.41 |
| 1893 | 59 | #222 | 0.53 |
| 1892 | 61 | #223 | 0.50 |
| 1891 | 55 | #214 | 0.54 |
| 1890 | 53 | #227 | 0.48 |
| 1889 | 51 | #226 | 0.46 |
| 1888 | 59 | #228 | 0.49 |
| 1887 | 74 | #172 | 0.73 |
| 1886 | 66 | #200 | 0.60 |
| 1885 | 52 | #227 | 0.48 |
| 1884 | 50 | #240 | 0.44 |
| 1883 | 62 | #190 | 0.59 |
| 1882 | 59 | #212 | 0.52 |
| 1881 | 50 | #218 | 0.50 |
| 1880 | 46 | #244 | 0.42 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Bob a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Bob has been given almost only to boys: 322 girls in 145 years of records.
Girls and boys named Bob: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Bob, and how old are they?
35,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 38% of the 93,308 Americans ever recorded as Bob. The median Bob alive today is 68 years old; half are between 64 and 80.
The 2020 Census counted 51,102 people named Bob (621 women and girls, 50,481 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 44,636 born in the U.S. The Census count is 14% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 7,760 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 21,400 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,490 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 891 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 281 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 141 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Bob born?
The states with the most babies named Bob are California, Illinois and Ohio, with 27% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 12,158 | not ranked | 2.2× |
| Illinois | 6,191 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Ohio | 5,419 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Texas | 4,798 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Missouri | 4,584 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Michigan | 4,212 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Oklahoma | 4,127 | not ranked | 2.5× |
| Washington | 3,478 | not ranked | 2.8× |
| Indiana | 3,336 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Iowa | 2,893 | not ranked | 1.7× |
Where Bob is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Bob is most over-represented in Washington: since 1910 it was given 2.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Bob with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Bob
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Bob and names like it
- Compare Bob and BillBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sBob peaked in 1959.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Bob since 1910.
- The top names of 1959The year the most babies were named Bob.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Bob alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with BMost given first.