NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Bobby

A diminutive form of Robert, meaning "bright fame" derived from Germanic roots.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Bobby is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Bobby popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #82, with 652 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 1,186 births.

This profile covers 16,904 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 55% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 18,161 living people in the UK are called Bobby. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Bobby ranked #82 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 652 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2012, when 1,186 boys were registered as Bobby.
  • Bobby ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #78 in 2024.
  • About 18,161 living people in the UK are estimated to have Bobby as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.1% of Bobby registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#82

2024

Births in 2024

652

Latest year

Peak year

2012

1,186 births

Estimated living

18,161

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Bobby

In England and Wales birth records, Bobby has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.1% of registrations are for boys and 0.9% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

99% boys
Boys16,904 (99.1%)Girls157 (0.9%)

Bobby registered for boys

  • Ranked #82 in 2024
  • 652 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2012 (1,186 births)

Bobby registered for girls

  • Ranked #3,015 in 2024
  • 8 girls registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2002 (12 births)

Meaning

What does Bobby mean?

Bobby is a diminutive form of the name Robert, which has its origins in the Germanic language. The name Robert is derived from the ancient Germanic words "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." It was initially introduced into Britain by Normans during the 11th century.

The first recorded use of the name Bobby as a diminutive for Robert dates back to the late 16th century. It gained popularity as a nickname in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly among English-speaking communities.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Bobby was Bobby Shafto, an English politician and Member of Parliament who lived from 1730 to 1797. He was the subject of a popular English nursery rhyme, "Bobby Shafto's Gone to Sea."

Another historical figure with the name Bobby was Bobby Leach (1857-1926), an English cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club and represented England in Test matches.

In the realm of sports, Bobby Jones (1902-1971) was a legendary American golfer who won 13 major championships and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) was a prodigious American chess player who became a Grandmaster at the age of 15 and later won the World Chess Championship in 1972, defeating Boris Spassky.

Bobby Charlton (born 1937) is an English football legend who played for Manchester United and England's national team. He was a part of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup and is considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time.

While the name Bobby was initially a diminutive of Robert, it has since become a standalone name in its own right, used by parents for their children without necessarily being a nickname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Bobby over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Bobby in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Bobby, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 652 births in 2024, compared with 1,186 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
02995978961K199620102024

Decades

Bobby by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Bobby was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #80 3,496 5
2010s #71 9,287 10
2000s #170 3,680 10
1990s #260 441 4

Geography

Where Bobby is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Bobby. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Bobby ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #78 in 2024.

Northern Ireland
30
Scotland
16

Across the UK

Bobby in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#246 in 2024

47 years of NRS records, 634 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#78 in 2024

25 years of NISRA records, 741 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Bobby

  • Bobby Zamora

    association football player

    English association football player (born 1981)

    1981-

  • Bobby Williamson

    association football coach; association football player

    Scottish footballer-manager (born 1961)

    1961-

  • Bobby Worth

    jazz musician

    British jazz drummer

    1949-

  • Bobby Windsor

    rugby union player

    Wales rugby union player

    1948-

  • Bobby Watson

    association football coach; association football player; businessperson

    association football player (born 1946)

    1946-

  • Bobby Wilson

    association football player

    English footballer (born 1944)

    1944-

  • Bobby Wilson

    association football coach; association football player

    Scottish footballer (born 1943)

    1943-

  • Bobby Willis

    songwriter; talent manager; talent agent

    British songwriter (1942–1999)

    1942-1999

Related

Names similar to Bobby

FAQ

Bobby: questions and answers

How popular is the name Bobby in the UK right now?

In 2024, Bobby was ranked #82 for boys in England and Wales, with 652 births registered.

When was Bobby most popular?

The peak year on record was 2012, with 1,186 babies registered as Bobby in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Bobby?

A diminutive form of Robert, meaning "bright fame" derived from Germanic roots.

How many people are called Bobby in the UK?

A total of 16,904 babies have been registered as Bobby across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 634 more in Scotland and 741 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Bobby most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Bobby ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #78 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.