Bobbye
A feminine diminutive of the name Robert, a Germanic name meaning "bright renown".
Name Census estimates that about 1,021 living Americans carry the first name Bobbye. It is a predominantly female name (97.0% of registrations). The average person named Bobbye today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bobbye births was 1931 (162 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bobbye. 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
- • Although Bobbye is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 97 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Bobbye is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bobbyes were born before 1963.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 335,705 Americans
Peak year
1931
162 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1988 SSA rank
#7,397
Tracked since 1911
Gender
Gender distribution for Bobbye
Bobbye leans heavily female at 97.0% of total registrations, but 97 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Bobbye as a male name
- Ranked #7,397 in 1988
- 5 male births in 1988
- Peak: 1937 (9 births)
Bobbye as a female name
- Ranked #11,291 in 1998
- 7 female births in 1998
- Peak: 1931 (155 births)
Popularity
Bobbye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bobbye from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 1,212 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bobbye 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 Bobbye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bobbyes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Bobbye, while California, Illinois, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 190 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bobbye
The name Bobbye is believed to have originated from the Old English name Robert, which is derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." This name was introduced to England by the Normans after their conquest in 1066 and quickly gained popularity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bobbye can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Bobbi is mentioned. This spelling variation likely emerged as a diminutive or nickname for Robert.
In medieval times, the name Bobbye appeared in various religious and historical texts. For example, a monk named Bobbye is referenced in the chronicles of the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds in the 12th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name Bobbye became more widespread across Europe. Notable figures include Bobbye Arundel, an English nobleman and courtier who lived from 1548 to 1610, and Bobbye Valois, a French philosopher and writer who lived from 1607 to 1692.
In the 18th century, Bobbye Hooke (1635-1703) was an influential English scientist and architect who played a significant role in the development of modern science. Another notable figure was Bobbye Burns (1759-1796), the famous Scottish poet and lyricist.
In the 19th century, Bobbye Browning (1812-1889) was an acclaimed English poet and playwright, while Bobbye Peel (1788-1850) was a British statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
As the name Bobbye continued to be used throughout the centuries, it has been borne by various individuals across different fields, including literature, politics, and the arts.
People
Bobbye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bobbye 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
Bobbye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bobbye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,021 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bobbye 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 335,705 US residents.
Is Bobbye a common name?
We classify Bobbye as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,269 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bobbye most popular?
The single biggest year for Bobbye was 1931, when 162 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bobbye is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bobbye a female name?
Yes, 97.0% of people registered as Bobbye in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.