How Many People Are Named Bob?
An estimated 41,459 people in the United States have the first name Bob. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 72 years old, and Bob peaked in popularity in 1959 with 2,834 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Bob as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Bob paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Bob is overwhelmingly male, 322 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 72, Bob is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1964.
- Bob has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
41,459
About 1 in 8,267 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.7% confidence
Average Age
72
years old
Peak Year
1959
2,834 births
Total Registered
93,300
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Bob
Bob is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 93,300 total births registered, 99.7% were male.
Bob as a male name
Ranked #10,012 in 2024
7 male births in 2024
Peak: 1959 (2,826 births)
Bob as a female name
Ranked #8,103 in 1970
5 female births in 1970
Peak: 1932 (16 births)
Bob in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 51,102 people with the first name Bob, which placed it at #886 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Bob was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 51,102 people with this name in that snapshot, 98.8% were male and 1.2% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.7% of the time.
Census Count
51,102
people with this name
Census Rank
#886
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
16.92
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Bob was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (82.73%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (5.51%) and Hispanic (4.71%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Bob in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Bob.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 82.73% | 42,275 |
| Black | 5.51% | 2,814 |
| Hispanic | 4.71% | 2,405 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 4.00% | 2,043 |
| Two or More Races | 2.13% | 1,090 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.92% | 472 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Bob: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Bob span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 23,399 babies were registered. Bob has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Bob by Decade
How has Bob tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 569 | 569 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 548 | 548 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 681 | 681 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 2,700 | 2,678 | 22 | |
| 1920s | 13,765 | 13,691 | 74 | |
| 1930s | 23,399 | 23,293 | 106 | |
| 1940s | 21,430 | 21,376 | 54 | |
| 1950s | 12,931 | 12,901 | 30 | |
| 1960s | 13,820 | 13,789 | 31 | |
| 1970s | 1,989 | 1,984 | 5 | |
| 1980s | 751 | 751 | 0 | |
| 1990s | 367 | 367 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 183 | 183 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 134 | 134 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 33 | 33 | 0 | |
Bob by State
Birth registrations for Bob span all 50 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Illinois, Ohio. The lowest are in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware. On average, about 1,765 Bobs were registered per state.
Bob + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Bob as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Bob
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Bob: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bob?
We estimate approximately 41,459 people named Bob are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 8,267 Americans share this first name.
Is Bob a common name?
Bob is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 93,300 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Bob most popular?
Bob reached peak popularity in 1959, when 2,834 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Bob is approximately 72 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Bob in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 51,102 people with the first name Bob. That placed it at #886 in the published Census first-name tables, or 16.92 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Bob was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bob?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Bob was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 98.8% male and 1.2% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bob?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Bob was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (82.73%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (5.51%) and Hispanic (4.71%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Bob a male name?
Bob is predominantly male. 99.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Bob have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Bob peaked in 1959, and the average living bearer is about 72 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Bob Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Bob Smith, Bob Johnson, Bob Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me