Hobbie
A diminutive form of Robert, derived from the Germanic name meaning "bright fame".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Hobbie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hobbie today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hobbie births was 1958 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hobbie. 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 Hobbie is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hobbies were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hobbie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1958
5 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,191
Tracked since 1958
Popularity
Hobbie: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hobbie 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 Hobbie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hobbie
The given name Hobbie traces its origins to the Middle English era, with its roots stemming from the Old English word "hob," which referred to a small horse or pony. The name gained prominence in rural communities, particularly among farmers and horse breeders who valued the robust and hardworking nature of these animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hobbie can be found in the Canterbury Tales, a celebrated collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century. In the prologue to the "Reeve's Tale," a character named Hobbie is described as a skilled ploughman, further cementing the name's association with agricultural pursuits.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hobbie was embraced by notable figures in the arts and literature. Sir Philip Sidney, a renowned English poet and courtier, featured a character named Hobbie in his pastoral romance "Arcadia," published in the late 16th century. This literary reference helped to elevate the name's prestige and cultivate its enduring popularity.
In the 17th century, the name gained religious significance when it was adopted by Hobbie Vickars, a prominent English Puritan minister and author. His influential sermons and writings, which often addressed themes of moral rectitude and spiritual devotion, contributed to the name's association with piety and virtue.
As the centuries progressed, the name Hobbie continued to be carried by individuals of note. One such example was Hobbie Baston, a Scottish writer and philosopher who lived in the 18th century. His works explored the intersection of ethics, politics, and social reform, garnering him a reputation as an influential thinker of his time.
In more recent history, the name Hobbie has been borne by notable figures such as Hobbie Parr, a celebrated American artist known for his evocative landscape paintings in the early 20th century. Additionally, Hobbie Fallon, an accomplished Irish playwright and screenwriter, brought the name to the forefront of the literary world in the latter half of the 20th century.
While the name Hobbie may have originated from humble beginnings, its rich history and associations with various fields, from agriculture and literature to religion and the arts, have endowed it with a lasting legacy and cultural significance.
People
Hobbie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hobbie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hobbie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hobbie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hobbie 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Hobbie a common name?
We classify Hobbie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hobbie most popular?
The single biggest year for Hobbie was 1958, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hobbie is about 68 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 Hobbie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hobbie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hobbie 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 Hobbie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hobbie 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 Hobbie 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 are named Hobbie?
Want to know how many Americans are named Hobbie? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.