Jobe

A boy's name of Hebrew origin with 1,310 recorded U.S. births.

Boy's name#7004 in 2024Declining

Meaning & Origin

A surname.

Jobe is a boy's baby name of Hebrew origin, a variant of Job, from the Hebrew Iyyov, of uncertain meaning — possibly meaning 'persecuted' or 'the afflicted one' — the name of the righteous man in the Hebrew Bible whose faith in God was tested through tremendous suffering.

With over 1,310 recorded births, Jobe is a phonetic spelling variant of the biblical Job — one of the most profound figures in all of world literature. The Book of Job wrestles with the question of why the righteous suffer, offering no easy answers but depicting a man who maintains his integrity through catastrophic loss. The name carries that extraordinary moral depth: the quality of faith that holds even when everything falls apart.

EtymologyShow more

Though Jobe dates back to 1882 in U.S. records, its etymological path is not always straightforward. Names that predate modern naming databases sometimes resist easy classification — they may have been oral traditions, regional family names, or adaptations that were never systematically recorded. The Hebrew classification provides a starting point, but the full derivation likely involves more nuance than a single label can capture.

Jobe’s 1,310 recorded births provide enough of a footprint to establish it as a real, chosen name in American culture — not a typo or a one-off, but a deliberate selection by hundreds of families.

At a Glance

#7004

Current Rank

1,310

Total births

Since 1882

2003

Peak year

41 births

Compare Jobe with another name

Popularity Over Time

Jobe was #3324 twenty years ago and has since drifted to #7004, but its charm endures.

First appeared: 1882Peak: 2003 (41 births)Current: #7004

Popularity by Decade

Decade-by-decade popularity data for Jobe
Decade	Births	Avg Rank	Trend
2020s	66	#6789	▼
2010s	226	#4571	▼
2000s	309	#3333	▲
1990s	204	#3578	▲
1980s	116	#4022	▲
1970s	112	#3432	▲
1960s	28	#4124	▼
1950s	52	#3322	▲
1940s	22	#3613	▼
1930s	42	#3586	▼
1920s	76	#3349	▲
1910s	39	#2776	▲
1890s	6	#1010	▼
1880s	12	#883	—

The Story of Jobe

A Gen Z name

Peaking in 2003, Jobe is a name that defines a generation. Boys named Jobe are most likely born between 1993 and 2013.

How rare is Jobe?

Only about 1 in every 300,000 babies born in 2024 was named Jobe — a truly uncommon choice.

The journey through the decades

First appeared in the records in 1882, gained momentum through the mid-century, peaked in the 2000s with 309 births that decade, and has gracefully settled into a quieter chapter.

Jobe by the numbers

Would fill 27 school buses
Meeting one Jobe per day would take 3.6 years

Year-by-Year Data

View complete yearly data(94 years, 1882–2024)

Year-by-year popularity data for the name Jobe
Year	Births	Rank	Change
2024	12	#7004	-3 (-20.0%)
2023	15	#6059	+6 (66.7%)
2022	9	#8615	-2 (-18.2%)
2021	11	#7332	-8 (-42.1%)
2020	19	#4935	+6 (46.2%)
2019	13	#6586	-7 (-35.0%)
2018	20	#4830	-1 (-4.8%)
2017	21	#4662	+1 (5.0%)
2016	20	#4855	+4 (25.0%)
2015	16	#5619	-12 (-42.9%)
2014	28	#3732	+5 (21.7%)
2013	23	#4244	-7 (-23.3%)
2012	30	#3584	+1 (3.4%)
2011	29	#3650	+3 (11.5%)
2010	26	#3948	+3 (13.0%)
2009	23	#4357	0
2008	23	#4321	-1 (-4.2%)
2007	24	#4182	-15 (-38.5%)
2006	39	#2905	+3 (8.3%)
2005	36	#2928	+7 (24.1%)

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Jobe a boy's or girl's name?

Jobe is primarily a boy's name.

When was Jobe most popular?

Jobe reached its peak popularity in 2003 with 41 births that year. It is currently ranked #7004 in the U.S.

How popular is the name Jobe?

Jobe is currently ranked #7004 in the U.S. (2024). It has been given to 1,310 babies since 1882.

Explore More

By Length4-letter names By OriginHebrew names By EndingNames in -e TrendingRising names RankingsFull rankings

Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1882–2024