Bobby
A pet form of Robert, Germanic for “bright fame.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Bobby first shows up in the national records in 1900. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1927 to 1976. Its biggest year was 1937, when 7,745 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 24 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1934, at No. 23. All told, 324,728 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Bobbie (107,049), Bobbi (24,280), Bobbye (3,269), Bobie (797), Bobi (593) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Robert
Explore Bobby interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 53 | No. 741 |
| 1910s | 411 | No. 628 |
| 1920s | 13,880 | No. 50 |
| 1930s | 69,419 | No. 23 |
| 1940s | 58,890 | No. 30 |
| 1950s | 53,281 | No. 65 |
| 1960s | 46,390 | No. 73 |
| 1970s | 29,077 | No. 79 |
| 1980s | 22,025 | No. 109 |
| 1990s | 11,384 | No. 185 |
| 2000s | 5,708 | No. 364 |
| 2010s | 3,281 | No. 551 |
| 2020s | 1,254 | No. 850 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.