Boys' name · since 1884

Rob

Rob has 8,775 recorded births since 1884 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1963 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,302 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#9,737 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
8,775
born since 1884
1960s
peak decade

8,775 babies have been named Rob since 1884, making it today's #9737 boys' name.

Social Security Administration records show Rob recorded 8,775 times among boys since 1884, holding rank #9737 nationally today, ahead of 30% of boys, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 2025.

  • #1,302 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #9,737 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 8,775 born since 1884
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rob ranks #1,302 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,737 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 8,775 born since 1884, peaking in the 1960s.

#1,302 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#9,737 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
8,775
born since 1884
1960s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%30.1%
Rob vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Rob's 8,775 recorded births place it above 97.13% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

41 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

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

How Rob compares

8,775 Top 10% higher than 90% 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

Rob's all-time total is 24x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Rob Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 8,775 369 358,536
Peak-year births 555 34 22,252

Rob's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Rob's full recorded timeline at 1966, 42% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 58% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1884, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1963 peak of 555 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Rob popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1963)
555
Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
0200400600 188419231938195319681983199820142025 7

Rob by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (4,159 births, 47% of the file).

1960s was Rob's strongest decade.

4,159 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.

Rob births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 4,159 births (47% of all-time use).

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

How Rob 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 Rob's total volume

Rob vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30%40%50% 050100150200 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 -113, 3.2%-49, 6.4%-37, 41.5%-96, 2.6%-32, 12.8%-71, 4.6%-35, 22.6%-36, 6.4%-146, 2.6%-111, 6.4%-58, 4.2%-51, 8.1%-53, 5.8%-146, 2.4%-70, 4.4%Rob-142, 6.3%Rob
Rob vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Rob by state

Where Rob concentrates geographically, total births since 1884

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Rob
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
1,090 12.4%
#2 Ohio
615 7.0%
#3 Michigan
493 5.6%
#4 Illinois
430 4.9%
#5 Washington
403 4.6%
#6 Texas
313 3.6%
#7 Indiana
291 3.3%
#8 Pennsylvania
224 2.6%
California share of Rob's total US births 12.4%
Even split

1,090 of 8,775 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.

Rob appears in 41 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rob? ▼
Since 1884, Social Security records show 8,775 babies named Rob. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #1,302 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #9,737 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1963, with 555 births.
Where does Rob sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rob ranks #1,302 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,737 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 Rob most popular? ▼
Rob was most popular in the 1960s decade with 4,159 total births. The single peak year was 1963.
Where is Rob most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rob are California (1,090 births), Ohio (615 births), Michigan (493 births).
How long has the name Rob been used? ▼
Rob has been recorded in Social Security data since 1884, spanning 142 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Rob? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Robert, Roberto, Robin, Robbie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Rob's data

  • Rob's decade-level peak was the 1960s (4,159 total births); usage has since declined to 46 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Robs (1,090 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 Rob

Nearby Names Like Rob

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rob

Robert Boy
#92 4,849,730 births
Roberto Boy
#569 112,643 births
Robin Boy
#703 46,952 births
Robbie Boy
#2109 21,386 births
Robby Boy
#4561 10,565 births

Compare Rob side by side: Rob vs Robert Rob vs Roberto Rob vs Robin

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Rob

Roby #9736
2,481 births · Peak 1964
Olive #9738
394 births · Peak 1921
Cleon #9735
3,000 births · Peak 1921
Elgin #9739
3,959 births · Peak 1920
Benjamen #9734
3,687 births · Peak 1990
Everet #9740
752 births · Peak 1925
Chancey #9733
1,228 births · Peak 1978
Sigmund #9741
2,855 births · Peak 1918

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Rob: 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, 1884–2025 (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 Rob 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.