Kobe
In Dutch and Flemish, a short form of Jacob, from Hebrew Yaaqov. It is separately the name of a Japanese port city.
Kobe in 2025
Kobe was given to 617 babies in the United States in 2025 — 578 boys and 39 girls, making it the 987th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 5,373 babies born.
The history of Kobe
Kobe reached its highest point in 2020, when 1,575 babies were given the name, ranking 431st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 430th, in 2001.
Across the 37 years of records since 1989, 23,126 babies have been named Kobe. Half of them were born before 2009, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Kobe by decade
| Decade | Babies named Kobe | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 20,099 |
| 1990s | 2,458 | 539 |
| 2000s | 9,253 | 430 |
| 2010s | 5,512 | 885 |
| 2020s | 5,898 | 431 |
Where Kobe is heading
Kobe has risen 31% over the past decade, from 472 babies in 2015 to 617 in 2025.
Names like Kobe
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Kobe.