2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bobbert
A patronymic surname derived from the medieval given name Robert.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Bobbert. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bobbert surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Bobbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bobbert
The surname BOBBERT is believed to have originated in the region of present-day Belgium and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic root word "bob," which means "small" or "little," and is thought to have been originally used as a descriptive nickname for a short person or child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BOBBERT surname can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Ghent, where a man named Johannes Bobbert is mentioned as a witness in a legal document. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late medieval period in the Low Countries.
In the 14th century, the BOBBERT name appeared in several records from the Duchy of Brabant, which encompassed parts of modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands. A notable example is Hendrik Bobbert, a merchant who lived in Brussels and is mentioned in a trade document from 1376.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Dutch and Flemish cultures flourished, the BOBBERT surname became more widespread. In 1542, a man named Pieter Bobbert was recorded as a citizen of Amsterdam, and in 1612, a Flemish painter named Jan Bobbert was born in Antwerp.
One of the most famous historical figures to bear the BOBBERT surname was Adriaen Bobbert, a Dutch Golden Age painter who lived from 1635 to 1690. He was known for his still-life paintings and landscapes, and his works can be found in museums across Europe.
In the 18th century, the BOBBERT name appeared in various parts of Europe, including Germany and France, likely due to migration and trade. A notable example is Johann Bobbert, a German composer and musician who was born in 1718 in the city of Mainz.
Over time, the BOBBERT surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Bobberd, Bobberts, and Bobbertz, reflecting local linguistic differences and dialects. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained largely unchanged throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bobbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bobbert bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bobbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bobbert
Bobbert appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,087 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-14 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,087 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 9,804 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bobbert surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #156,005 | -6.7% |
| Count | 113 | 99 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bobbert bearers went from 113 to 99 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 9,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #156,005.
FAQ
Bobbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bobbert?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Bobbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Bobbert?
Bobbert ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Bobbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bobbert.
Has Bobbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bobbert went from 113 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Bobbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bobbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bobbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bobbert (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bobbert mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the medieval given name Robert. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bobbert (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Bobbert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.