Bobby
Bobby or Bobbie is both a masculine and a feminine hypocorism, given name and occasional nickname. It is usually a variant of Robert (male) or Roberta (female). It can also be short for the male name Roberto. The female version is also sometimes spelled "Bobbi" or "Bobi".
Meaning & Origin of Bobby
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bobby or Bobbie is both a masculine and a feminine hypocorism, given name and occasional nickname. It is usually a variant of Robert (male) or Roberta (female). It can also be short for the male name Roberto. The female version is also sometimes spelled "Bobbi" or "Bobi".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Bobby
Bobby first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1900, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1937, when 7,745 Bobbys were born — ranking #24 that year. As of 2026, Bobby ranks #1,246 for baby boys with 160 births, falling sharply (-31%). In total, more than 315K Bobbys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Bobby
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bobby is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bobby
What does the name Bobby mean?
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About the name Bobby
Bobby is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1900 and has accumulated 315K births in the dataset. Bobby's peak popularity came in 1937 when it ranked #23. Use the chart and map above to compare Bobby's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1937 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.