Bobette
Diminutive of the French name Robert, derived from the Germanic name meaning "bright renown".
Name Census estimates that about 838 living Americans carry the first name Bobette. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bobette today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bobette births was 1954 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bobette. 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 Bobette is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bobettes were born before 1967.
People living today
838
~ 1 in 409,015 Americans
Peak year
1954
55 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,949
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Bobette: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bobette from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 429 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bobette 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 Bobette during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bobettes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Illinois, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Bobette, while Texas, Indiana, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bobette
The name Bobette is a French diminutive form of the name Roberta, which ultimately derives from the Germanic name Robert. Robert comes from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The name Bobette emerged in the late 19th century as a popular French pet name for the more formal Roberta.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bobette can be found in the 1890 novel "La Petite Paroisse" by French author Alphonse Daudet, where a character named Bobette appears. The name gained popularity in France during this time period, particularly among the upper classes as a charming nickname for young girls.
In the early 20th century, the name Bobette began to spread beyond France, appearing in other European countries and eventually making its way to the United States. One notable early bearer of the name was Bobette Lanham, an American actress born in 1911, who appeared in several silent films in the 1920s.
Another famous Bobette was Bobette Benzie, a British socialite and artist born in 1923. She was known for her portraits of notable figures in the art world and was a prominent figure in London's social scene during the mid-20th century.
In the world of literature, Bobette Mazeaud was a French author and journalist born in 1928. She wrote several novels and short story collections, including "La Femme de Trop" in 1962, which explored themes of love and relationships.
One of the most renowned Bobettes in history was Bobette Kruger, a South African track and field athlete born in 1930. She competed in the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in the 4x100m relay in 1952.
Finally, Bobette Douglas was an American actress and model born in 1939, who appeared in several films and television shows in the 1960s and 1970s, including "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Monkees."
People
Bobette + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bobette 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
Bobette: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bobette?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 838 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bobette 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 409,015 US residents.
Is Bobette a common name?
We classify Bobette as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,464 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bobette most popular?
The single biggest year for Bobette was 1954, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bobette is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bobette a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bobette 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.