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BabyNames
Boy name#330 of boy names

Bob

Pronounced B AA1 B (ARPABET)

  • 1 syllable
  • Peaked 1959
  • 145 years in use
  • Palindrome
  • 1 spelling
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How popular is Bob?

Bob is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 93,310 children — the 330th most common boys' name on record.

It is still recorded, but barely: 110 births across the past decade, against a peak of 2,826 in a single year. That peak was in 1959.

Bobb is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.

01,2502,5003,7505,00018901920195019802010
1959Boys: 2,826Girls: 8

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Bob and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Bobb

Nicknames

Bob is itself a short form of Robert.

Characteristics

  • Palindrome
  • Alliterative
  • 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
B AA1 B
Stress pattern:
1
Syllables:
1

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Bob

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Bob

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Bob?
Bob ranks 330th among boys' names in US records, with 93,310 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 110.
Is Bob a unisex name?
No. Bob is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Bob most popular?
1959, when 2,826 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Bob spelled?
Bobb. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.