Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Bob?
Births per year, rank history and how many Bobs are alive today.
Bob (male) is a shortened form of the name Robert. Bob itself was last registered for 4 babies in 2023; most Bobs are registered as Robert, which ranked 164th in 2025 with 310 babies.
Most people called Bob are registered as Robert, and share that name's profile: the Robert you are most likely to meet is around 62 years old. Half of all Roberts born in England and Wales are between 47 and 74, and there are at least 490,000 of them alive today. Only some Roberts go by Bob.
How many babies are named Bob or Robert each year?
Combined registrations of Robert, Bob. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Robert rank as a registered name?
Where does Bob rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Bob short for Robert?
Yes - Bob is a shortened form of Robert. Bobs are usually registered as Robert at birth.
When was the name Bob most popular?
The full name Robert peaked in 1944, when around 14,000 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Bob itself peaked as a registered name in 2008, with 9 babies.
How many people are called Bob?
There's no official count of people who go by Bob, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 490,000 people registered as Robert born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Bob.
How old is the typical Bob?
Most people called Bob are registered as Robert. Most living Roberts are between 47 and 74; the most common age is about 62.
Is Bob becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1944 peak.