NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Kobie

A playful diminutive of Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "holder of the heel".

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.

Kobie is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Kobie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #403, with 101 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 101 births.

This profile covers 947 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1997 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.

Kobie is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 987 living people in the UK are called Kobie. 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

  • Kobie ranked #403 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 101 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 101 boys were registered as Kobie.
  • Kobie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
  • About 987 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kobie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.7% of Kobie registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#403

2024

Births in 2024

101

Latest year

Peak year

2024

101 births

Estimated living

987

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Kobie

In England and Wales birth records, Kobie 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.

100% boys
Boys947 (99.7%)Girls3 (0.3%)

Kobie registered for boys

  • Ranked #403 in 2024
  • 101 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2024 (101 births)

Kobie registered for girls

  • Ranked #5,545 in 2008
  • 3 girls registered in 2008
  • Peak: 2008 (3 births)

Meaning

What does Kobie mean?

The name Kobie is believed to have originated from the Dutch language. It is a diminutive form of the name Jacob, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows". The earliest recorded use of the name Kobie dates back to the 17th century in the Netherlands.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name Kobie was Kobie Kalkman, a Dutch painter who lived from 1723 to 1798. He was known for his landscapes and maritime scenes, and his works can be found in various museums across the Netherlands and Europe.

In the 19th century, Kobie van Westerop (1829-1895) was a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Netherlands from 1891 to 1893. He was instrumental in implementing several legal reforms during his tenure.

Another notable figure with the name Kobie was Kobie Coetzee (1945-2022), a South African cricketer who played as a right-arm fast-medium bowler for the South African national team in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was part of the team that toured England in 1970 and played in the first-ever One Day International match.

In the world of literature, Kobie Kruger (1950-2012) was a South African writer and poet who wrote extensively in Afrikaans. Her works explored themes of identity, gender, and the complexities of life in post-apartheid South Africa. She received numerous literary awards and accolades during her lifetime.

Kobie Venter (1950-), a South African actress and playwright, is another individual who has carried the name Kobie. She has had a long and successful career in the performing arts, appearing in numerous stage productions, films, and television shows. Her plays have addressed various social and political issues in South Africa.

While the name Kobie has its origins in the Dutch language, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and regions around the world, particularly in South Africa, where it has gained popularity as a given name for both males and females.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kobie over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Kobie in England and Wales, from 1997 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 Kobie, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 101 births in 2024, compared with 101 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
0255176101199720102024

Decades

Kobie by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kobie 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 #520 388 5
2010s #806 412 10
2000s #1410 133 9
1990s #2259 14 3

Geography

Where Kobie is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kobie. 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.

Kobie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.

Scotland
7
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Kobie in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#432 in 2024

7 years of NRS records, 26 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#404 in 2024

6 years of NISRA records, 20 total registered

Related

Names similar to Kobie

FAQ

Kobie: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Kobie was ranked #403 for boys in England and Wales, with 101 births registered.

When was Kobie most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 101 babies registered as Kobie in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kobie?

A playful diminutive of Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "holder of the heel".

How many people are called Kobie in the UK?

A total of 947 babies have been registered as Kobie across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 26 more in Scotland and 20 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Kobie most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Kobie ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #404 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.