Bobie
A diminutive feminine name derived from Old English names meaning "bright" or "shining".
Name Census estimates that about 278 living Americans carry the first name Bobie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 52.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Bobie today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bobie births was 1936 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bobie. 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 Bobie is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bobies were born before 1969.
People living today
278
~ 1 in 1,232,929 Americans
Peak year
1936
39 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1963 SSA rank
#4,097
Tracked since 1910
Gender
Gender distribution for Bobie
Bobie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 797 total registrations, 377 (47.3%) were male and 420 (52.7%) were female.
Bobie as a male name
- Ranked #4,097 in 1963
- 5 male births in 1963
- Peak: 1932 (24 births)
Bobie as a female name
- Ranked #12,031 in 1996
- 6 female births in 1996
- Peak: 1936 (15 births)
Popularity
Bobie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bobie 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 289 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
Bobie 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 Bobie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bobies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Bobie, while Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bobie
The name Bobie is a diminutive form of the name Robert, which has its origins in the Germanic language. Robert is derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The name Robert gained popularity during the medieval era across Europe, particularly in France and England.
In the 12th century, the diminutive form Bobie emerged as a nickname for Robert. This shortened version was commonly used as a familiar or affectionate form of the name. The earliest recorded instances of the name Bobie can be found in medieval English and French documents.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Bobie was Bobie de Montfort, a French nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. He was a member of the prominent Montfort family and participated in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard the Lionheart.
In the 15th century, Bobie Kendall was an English landowner and nobleman from Derbyshire. He is mentioned in various historical records related to property disputes and legal matters during that time.
During the Renaissance era, Bobie Tiziano was an Italian painter and artist who lived in Venice in the 16th century. He was a student of the renowned painter Titian and is known for his portraits and religious works.
In the 17th century, Bobie Wren was an English architect and mathematician. He is best known for his contributions to the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666, including the design of St. Paul's Cathedral.
Another notable figure was Bobie Garrick, an English actor and playwright who lived in the 18th century. He was a leading figure in the British theater scene and helped popularize the works of Shakespeare through his performances and adaptations.
While Bobie was a common nickname and diminutive form of Robert in the past, its usage as a standalone given name has declined in modern times. However, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of historical names and serves as a reminder of the cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped naming traditions over the centuries.
People
Bobie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bobie 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
Bobie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bobie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 278 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bobie 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 1,232,929 US residents.
Is Bobie a common name?
We classify Bobie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 797 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bobie most popular?
The single biggest year for Bobie was 1936, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bobie is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bobie a female name?
Yes, 52.7% of people registered as Bobie 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.