Rob
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ROB
- Origin
- Germanic
- US rank, 2025
- #9,710 for boys
Rob is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “bright fame”. In 2025 it ranked 9,710th for boys in the US (7 babies).
What does Rob mean?
Germanic: short form of Robert
“bright fame”
Short for Robert, from Germanic hrod 'fame' and beraht 'bright'; Rob Roy MacGregor was a Scottish folk hero.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Rob a girl's or a boy's name?
Rob is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 7 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Rob in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1997, with 14 boys.
Half of all the boys named Rob in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2005. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Rob in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | #6,413 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 3 | #5,015 |
| 2015 | 1 | #6,220 |
| 2014 | 2 | #6,114 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 4 | #4,147 |
| 2011 | 1 | #6,218 |
| 2010 | 2 | #6,093 |
| 2009 | 4 | #3,909 |
| 2008 | 1 | #5,936 |
| 2007 | 1 | #5,736 |
| 2006 | 2 | #5,314 |
| 2005 | 7 | #2,292 |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,147 |
| 2003 | 5 | #2,574 |
| 2002 | 2 | #4,226 |
| 2001 | 8 | #1,690 |
| 2000 | 1 | #4,018 |
| 1999 | 8 | #1,582 |
| 1998 | 8 | #1,569 |
| 1997 | 14 | #1,066 |
| 1996 | 12 | #1,146 |
How popular is Rob in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 9,710th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 7 about 1 in 240,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 7 boys in the US were named Rob, making it the 9,710th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 12,016th. Its busiest year was 1963, with 555 boys. It first appears in the records in 1884.
Half of all the boys named Rob in the US since 1880 were born between 1959 and 1970, the years shaded on the chart below.
Rob in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #9,710 |
| 2024 | 6 | #10,930 |
| 2023 | 11 | #7,284 |
| 2022 | 8 | #8,983 |
| 2021 | 9 | #8,161 |
| 2020 | 5 | #12,016 |
| 2019 | 8 | #8,883 |
| 2018 | 6 | #10,754 |
| 2017 | 10 | #7,542 |
| 2016 | 5 | #12,180 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 14 | #5,993 |
| 2013 | 7 | #9,650 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,858 |
| 2011 | 13 | #6,250 |
| 2010 | 14 | #6,032 |
| 2009 | 12 | #6,798 |
| 2008 | 10 | #7,693 |
| 2007 | 17 | #5,207 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 13 | #5,869 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5,487 |
| 2003 | 12 | #5,870 |
| 2002 | 11 | #6,081 |
| 2001 | 14 | #5,135 |
| 2000 | 15 | #4,779 |
| 1999 | 18 | #3,981 |
| 1998 | 18 | #3,845 |
| 1997 | 14 | #4,446 |
| 1996 | 19 | #3,543 |
| 1995 | 22 | #3,095 |
| 1994 | 20 | #3,320 |
| 1993 | 25 | #2,780 |
| 1992 | 39 | #1,997 |
| 1991 | 35 | #2,089 |
| 1990 | 36 | #2,044 |
| 1989 | 44 | #1,728 |
| 1988 | 57 | #1,369 |
| 1987 | 42 | #1,634 |
| 1986 | 41 | #1,587 |
| 1985 | 30 | #1,915 |
| 1984 | 42 | #1,480 |
| 1983 | 38 | #1,561 |
| 1982 | 53 | #1,277 |
| 1981 | 38 | #1,576 |
| 1980 | 59 | #1,187 |
| 1979 | 56 | #1,221 |
| 1978 | 78 | #977 |
| 1977 | 80 | #954 |
| 1976 | 70 | #996 |
| 1975 | 104 | #814 |
| 1974 | 116 | #753 |
| 1973 | 127 | #714 |
| 1972 | 201 | #565 |
| 1971 | 275 | #484 |
| 1970 | 334 | #450 |
| 1969 | 403 | #394 |
| 1968 | 334 | #419 |
| 1967 | 275 | #453 |
| 1966 | 327 | #421 |
| 1965 | 437 | #370 |
| 1964 | 546 | #336 |
| 1963 | 555 | #334 |
| 1962 | 487 | #360 |
| 1961 | 442 | #377 |
| 1960 | 353 | #427 |
| 1959 | 342 | #431 |
| 1958 | 316 | #441 |
| 1957 | 252 | #490 |
| 1956 | 171 | #581 |
| 1955 | 129 | #649 |
| 1954 | 113 | #676 |
| 1953 | 83 | #778 |
| 1952 | 58 | #931 |
| 1951 | 41 | #1,122 |
| 1950 | 45 | #1,051 |
| 1949 | 39 | #1,127 |
| 1948 | 48 | #1,014 |
| 1947 | 35 | #1,232 |
| 1946 | 30 | #1,277 |
| 1945 | 31 | #1,179 |
| 1944 | 25 | #1,327 |
| 1943 | 21 | #1,528 |
| 1942 | 10 | #2,385 |
| 1941 | 17 | #1,685 |
| 1940 | 13 | #1,983 |
| 1939 | 13 | #1,958 |
| 1938 | 13 | #1,976 |
| 1937 | 13 | #1,992 |
| 1936 | 11 | #2,184 |
| 1935 | 14 | #1,929 |
| 1934 | 13 | #2,022 |
| 1933 | 10 | #2,367 |
| 1932 | 17 | #1,777 |
| 1931 | 14 | #2,003 |
| 1930 | 17 | #1,821 |
| 1929 | 19 | #1,731 |
| 1928 | 15 | #2,048 |
| 1927 | 15 | #2,121 |
| 1926 | 11 | #2,565 |
| 1925 | 22 | #1,628 |
| 1924 | 14 | #2,229 |
| 1923 | 17 | #1,940 |
| 1922 | 20 | #1,765 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,151 |
| 1920 | 17 | #1,965 |
| 1919 | 12 | #2,384 |
| 1918 | 18 | #1,826 |
| 1917 | 11 | #2,422 |
| 1916 | 13 | #2,151 |
| 1915 | 8 | #2,828 |
| 1914 | 11 | #1,974 |
| 1913 | 7 | #2,272 |
| 1912 | 14 | #1,267 |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 6 | #977 |
| 1894 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 0 | – |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 6 | #884 |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 0 | – |
| 1887 | 0 | – |
| 1886 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 6 | #835 |
| 1884 | 5 | #971 |
Names like Rob
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Robert, Billy, Robbie, Charles, Robin, James, Michael, William, Reggie, Patrick, Richard, Thomas
Names related to Rob
More Germanic names
Amelia, Liam, Henry, Charlotte, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Alice
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Rob: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rob, updated 20 October 2026.