Bilbo
Bilbo is a masculine given name of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from Old English.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Bilbo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bilbo today is around 105 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bilbo births was 1916 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bilbo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Bilbo is about 105 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bilbos were born before 1931.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bilbo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1916
22 babies that year
Average age
105
years old
1928 SSA rank
#3,750
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Bilbo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bilbo from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 107 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bilbo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bilbo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bilbos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bilbo
The name Bilbo is a fictional name created by J.R.R. Tolkien for the character Bilbo Baggins in his renowned novel The Hobbit, published in 1937. Tolkien, a renowned philologist and author, drew inspiration from various linguistic sources when crafting the names and languages used in his Middle-earth legendarium.
While the precise etymology of the name Bilbo is unclear, it is believed to have been derived from the Old English word "bilbo," meaning "sword." This association with a weapon could symbolize Bilbo's unexpected journey and the courage he displays throughout the story. However, Tolkien himself never provided a definitive explanation for the name's origin.
In Tolkien's fictional world, Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit, a small, diminutive race known for their love of comfort and aversion to adventure. Bilbo's unexpected involvement in the quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug became a central part of the narrative and cemented his place as one of the most beloved characters in fantasy literature.
Prior to Tolkien's work, there are no known historical records or ancient texts explicitly mentioning the name Bilbo. Its popularity and widespread recognition stem primarily from the immense success and cultural impact of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which introduced this name to the world.
While the name Bilbo itself does not have a long historical lineage, it has become deeply ingrained in popular culture and is recognized by fans of Tolkien's works worldwide. Additionally, the character Bilbo Baggins has inspired numerous adaptations, including the Peter Jackson film trilogy, further solidifying the name's association with this beloved fictional figure.
People
Bilbo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bilbo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bilbo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bilbo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bilbo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Bilbo a common name?
We classify Bilbo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 132 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bilbo most popular?
The single biggest year for Bilbo was 1916, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bilbo is about 105 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bilbo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bilbo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bilbo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bilbo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bilbo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bilbo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Bilbo as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.