UK name, mostly boys
Kobi
A given name derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter".
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.
Kobi is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Kobi popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #412, with 99 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 135 births.
This profile covers 1,933 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 73% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,115 living people in the UK are called Kobi. 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
- • Kobi ranked #412 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 99 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 135 boys were registered as Kobi.
- • Kobi ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #216 in 2024.
- • About 2,115 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kobi as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.7% of Kobi registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#412
2024
Births in 2024
99
Latest year
Peak year
2019
135 births
Estimated living
2,115
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Kobi
In England and Wales birth records, Kobi has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.7% of registrations are for boys and 0.3% 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.
Kobi registered for boys
- Ranked #412 in 2024
- 99 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (135 births)
Kobi registered for girls
- Ranked #5,591 in 2019
- 3 girls registered in 2019
- Peak: 2008 (3 births)
Meaning
What does Kobi mean?
The name Kobi is derived from the Hebrew language and culture. It is a masculine name that originated in ancient Israel, likely during the biblical era.
Kobi is a diminutive form of the Hebrew name Yaakov, which means "supplanter" or "one who follows". The root of the name, "akev", is related to the idea of following or coming after. This biblical connection links the name to the patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, from the Book of Genesis.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kobi can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism. The Talmud mentions a sage named Kobi, who lived during the Mishnaic period, around the 2nd century CE.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kobi. One of the earliest was Kobi ben Nahman (born around 270 CE), a prominent Jewish scholar and leader in Babylonia during the Talmudic era.
Another famous bearer of the name was Kobi ben Shmuel (born around 1050 CE), a renowned Jewish philosopher and Torah commentator from Spain during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula.
In more recent times, Kobi Anan (1938-2018) was a notable Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1997 to 2006.
Kobi Yamada (born 1955) is a Japanese-American writer and motivational speaker, best known for his inspirational children's books, including the bestseller "What Do You Do With an Idea?".
Kobi Marimi (born 1975) is an Israeli singer and songwriter who has had a successful career in the Israeli music industry, with several hit albums and awards.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Kobi, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kobi over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Kobi 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 Kobi, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 99 births in 2024, compared with 135 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kobi by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kobi 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 | #384 | 554 | 5 |
| 2010s | #418 | 1,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | #832 | 356 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1903 | 23 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kobi is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kobi. 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.
Kobi ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #216 in 2024.
Across the UK
Kobi in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#352 in 2024
17 years of NRS records, 116 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#216 in 2024
13 years of NISRA records, 79 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kobi
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Kobi: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kobi in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kobi was ranked #412 for boys in England and Wales, with 99 births registered.
When was Kobi most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 135 babies registered as Kobi in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kobi?
A given name derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter".
How many people are called Kobi in the UK?
A total of 1,933 babies have been registered as Kobi across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 116 more in Scotland and 79 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kobi most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kobi ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #216 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.