Meaning & Origin
A diminutive of the male given name Robert.
Bobby is a boy's and girl's baby name of Germanic origin, a diminutive of Robert — from the Old High German Hrodebert, combining hrod ("fame") and beraht ("bright"), meaning "bright fame." Bobby became a classic American informal given name in the early 20th century.
Bobby ranked in the top 15 U.S. boys' names through the 1930s and 1940s. Bobby Kennedy, Bobby Fischer, and Bobby Orr give the name both political weight and athletic grit. It's one of those names that sounds instantly friendly — the kind that ages well without ever feeling too small.