Find out how popular the first name Bobbie has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Bobbie by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Bobbie is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 91% of people named Bobbie being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 69 female babies and 6 male babies born with the name Bobbie.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 6 baby boys were named Bobbie in 2023, despite it being a predominantly female name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Bobbie

The given name Bobbie is a diminutive form of the name Robert, which has its origins in the Germanic language family. Robert is derived from the Germanic words "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in Europe.

Bobbie is a modern variant of the nickname Bob, which was originally a shortened form of the name Robert. The earliest recorded use of the name Bobbie dates back to the late 18th century, particularly in English-speaking regions such as Britain and the United States.

One of the earliest historical figures known to have borne the name Bobbie was Robert "Bobbie" Shafto, an English politician and landowner who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was the subject of a popular English folk song titled "Bobbie Shafto's Gone to Sea."

Another notable figure with the name Bobbie was Bobbie Rosenfeld (1904-1969), a Canadian athlete and one of the most successful female track and field competitors of her time. She won Olympic gold medals in the 4x100m relay and the discus throw at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

In the field of literature, Bobbie Ann Mason (born 1940) is an American novelist and short story writer known for her works that explore the lives of ordinary people in the American South and Midwest. Her novels include "In Country" and "Shiloh and Other Stories."

Sir Bobbie Trayler-Bellew (1927-2009) was a British military officer and cricketer who served in the Royal Navy and played first-class cricket for the Combined Services and Oxford University teams in the 1940s and 1950s.

Bobbie Gentry (born 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and novelist, best known for her hit songs "Ode to Billie Joe" and "Fancy" in the late 1960s. She is also the author of several novels, including "Ode to Billie Joe" and "Chickasaw County Child."

While the name Bobbie has been predominantly used as a masculine name throughout history, it has also been adopted as a feminine name in more recent times, particularly in English-speaking countries.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Bobbie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bobbie, please contact us.

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