A FIELD REPORT ON THE NAME
Bob
unvarnished · cordial · stubby
Origin & Meaning
AI-WrittenOriginates as a rhyming short form of Robert, derived from the Germanic elements for fame and bright. American parents began registering it as a standalone legal name in the late nineteenth century, bypassing the longer formal version entirely.
Also answers toBobby
Fig. 1 — Births per annum, 1880–2025
SSA Data 1880 peak: 2,834 souls, A.D. 1959 2025
2025: 7 born, falling ↘
Estimated Age
71 yrs
Most Bobs were born around 1959 — predates the Interstate Highway System.
Peak Reign
1959
№128 that year
Generation
Boomer, 60%
then Silent 24% · Gen X 12%
Rarity
Top 2000 all-time
≈93K ever born · now falling
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Estimates from SSA birth records and standard survival rates. Immigration and name changes not counted.
Bob grew up with
SSA Data45 rpm singles·Beatlemania·The Twist
Data vs. Humans
What the data says
SSA Data
SSA: Bob peaked in 1959.
Estimated average age: 71.
What people think
Opinion LedgerAwaiting human data — cast the first votes.
Bob sounds like someone born in —
Fig. 2 — Style Coordinates
AI Seed · Votes Override at n=30 Vintage Modern
Formal Casual
Soft Strong
Cast your vote No account · one tap
In your mind, Bob sounds more like a —
Voting opens when the ledger goes live. No account. 24h cooldown per question.
Public Opinion Ledger
Ledger Opens Soon
The public has not yet weighed in on Bob. Early ballots carry the most weight.
* Early ballots — fewer than 30 cast so far. The ledger settles at 30.
First Impressions
AI-WrittenThe name reads as entirely without pretense. It belongs predominantly to men in their seventies who know how to shut off the main water valve without looking. Standing on birth certificates reached its high-water mark in 1959 and has steadily cleared the field ever since. It suggests someone who owns a tape measure with genuine sentimental value.
Field Notes
AI-WrittenField Note 01
About sixty percent of all living Americans with this exact legal name belong to the Baby Boom generation.
Field Note 02
Parents registered about three thousand babies under this three-letter form in 1959, its peak year on the national record.
Field Note 03
By 2025, fewer than ten newborns nationwide received the name as their primary legal identifier.
Ephemera — If Bob were a…
AI-WrittenCity
Canton, Ohio
Hardware
Torpedo level
Lunch
Thermos coffee and a ham sandwich
And what of your name?