Given name & surname
Bob
“one who is bright with fame”
In English use, Bob is a diminutive of Robert. One German interpretation is “one who is bright with fame.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Bob carries the interpretation “one who is bright with fame.” In English use, Bob is a diminutive of Robert. One German interpretation is “one who is bright with fame.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
A possible origin is English, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In English use, Bob is used as a shortened form of Robert.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Bob is a diminutive of Robert. The history of Robert gives this family its wider story. Robert’s historical associations include three kings of Scotland, notably Robert the Bruce.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Bob through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 93,308
- 92,986 boys · 322 girls
- Most popular year
- 1959
- 2,834 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #9,845 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −63%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,845 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,826 in 1959. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 51,102 as a first name in 2020; 2,522 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bob’s family of names
In English usage, Bob is a diminutive of Robert. Bob has a surname derivative in BOBSON. Bob has a related form in Bobby.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Bob has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bob
- Bob DylanAmerican singer-songwriter (born 1941)
- Bob MarleyJamaican reggae musician (1945–1981)
- Bob HopeAmerican entertainer (1903–2003)
- Bob SagetAmerican stand-up comedian (1957–2022)1956–2022
- Bob NewhartAmerican stand-up comedian and actor (1829–2024)1929–2024
- Bob DoleAmerican politician (1923–2021)
- Bob FosseAmerican choreographer, dancer, and director (1927–1987)
- Bob HawkeAustralian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia (1929-2019)
- Bob WoodwardAmerican investigative journalist (born 1943)
Characters named Bob: Snake Plissken (the films Escape from New York and Escape from L.A.), Bob Stookey (fictional character of The Walking Dead), Bob Cratchit (the Charles Dickens novella A Christmas Carol), Black Terror (comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bob, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Rusty
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Dick
“a powerful ruler”
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Tony
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% boys