2000
#4,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,911
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Bobbitt
Derived from a pet form of Robert, meaning "bright fame," or a shortened form of a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,592 Americans carry the last name Bobbitt. That puts it at #5,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bobbitt 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
7.6K
1 in 45,147
Census rank
#5,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,621 bearers of the surname Bobbitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bobbitt
The surname Bobbitt is an English name that originated in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name Robert, which itself comes from the Germanic words "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright". The name Bobbitt is thought to have emerged as a diminutive form of Robert.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bobbitt can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Bobbet". This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in England. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Bobbitt.
During the Middle Ages, the Bobbitt family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. Several place names in these areas, such as Bobbit's Hill and Bobbit's Farm, indicate a strong historical connection to the surname.
In the 14th century, a notable individual named John Bobbitt was recorded as a landowner in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the famous playwright William Shakespeare. This suggests that the Bobbitt family had established itself as part of the local gentry by that time.
Another prominent figure in the history of the Bobbitt surname was Sir Robert Bobbitt, a wealthy merchant who lived in London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 16th century. He made a fortune through his international trade ventures and was knighted for his services to the Crown.
During the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, a Captain Thomas Bobbitt served in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645, where he was commended for his bravery.
In the 18th century, a notable member of the Bobbitt family was the author and poet Elizabeth Bobbitt, who was born in Bristol in 1738. She published several well-received collections of poetry and was celebrated for her lyrical style and emotional depth.
Throughout the centuries, the Bobbitt surname has been associated with various professions, including farming, trade, military service, and the arts. While not as widespread as some other English surnames, it has maintained a strong presence in various parts of England and has also been carried to other parts of the world through migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bobbitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bobbitt 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 Bobbitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 4,332
- Black or African American26.2% · 1,732
- Two or more races4.1% · 273
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 209
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bobbitt
Bobbitt 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
#4,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,230
+319 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#5,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,621
-609 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,687 | 6,911 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,873 | 7,230 | 2.45 | +319 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #5,117 | 6,621 | 2.22 | -609 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 244 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 Bobbitt 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 | #4,873 | #5,117 | -5.0% |
| Count | 7,230 | 6,621 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.45 | 2.22 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bobbitt bearers went from 7,230 to 6,621 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,873 to #5,117.
FAQ
Bobbitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bobbitt?
Name Census estimates that about 7,592 living Americans carry the surname Bobbitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,147 residents.
How common is Bobbitt?
Bobbitt ranks #5,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,621 people with the surname Bobbitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bobbitt.
Has Bobbitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bobbitt went from 7,230 recorded bearers to 6,621. That is a decrease of 609 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,873 to #5,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Bobbitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Bobbitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (4,332 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bobbitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Bobbitt (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 Bobbitt mean?
Derived from a pet form of Robert, meaning "bright fame," or a shortened form of a place name. 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 Bobbitt (2.22 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 Bobbitt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.