boys' name ★ peaked 2020

Kobe

Meaning From Japanese 神(こう)戸(べ) (Kōbe) Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #519 Trend ↓ Falling 13%

From Japanese 神(こう)戸(べ) (Kōbe).

Rank 2025
#519
among boys · ↓109 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
617
named Kobe · -26% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,955
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2020
1,575 babies
All-time total
23,126
#780 all-time among boys
First recorded
1989
in Social Security records

Kobe popularity over time

23,126 babies have been named Kobe since 1989, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – 5 5 1 – #8,636
1990s 48 2,410 2,458 246 +49060% #263
2000s 136 9,117 9,253 925 +276% #222
2010s 140 5,372 5,512 551 -40% #428
2020s (to 2025) 289 5,609 5,898 983 +78% #239

Where Kobe is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 589 0.34 outside top 500
2027 598 0.35 outside top 500
2028 606 0.35 #499
2029 612 0.36 #494
2030 618 0.36 #486

Where Kobe is most popular

Boys named Kobe per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.474 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, Hawaii, and Nevada.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kobe born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Mississippi 75 1.32 +179%
Hawaii 18 1.16 +145%
Nevada 57 1.000 +111%
Georgia 236 0.932 +97%
Arkansas 57 0.901 +90%
Alabama 94 0.860 +82%
North Carolina 208 0.815 +72%
South Carolina 84 0.813 +72%
Delaware 12 0.791 +67%
West Virginia 24 0.735 +55%
Louisiana 74 0.723 +53%
Michigan 148 0.723 +53%
Missouri 100 0.721 +52%
Kentucky 72 0.717 +51%
Maryland 84 0.704 +49%
Indiana 112 0.698 +47%
Oklahoma 61 0.690 +46%
Virginia 117 0.617 +30%
Wisconsin 73 0.616 +30%
Washington 98 0.599 +26%
Illinois 152 0.595 +26%
Iowa 41 0.595 +26%
Tennessee 100 0.554 +17%
Ohio 142 0.536 +13%
Pennsylvania 140 0.527 +11%
Florida 232 0.490 ≈ national
Kansas 32 0.467 ≈ national
California 405 0.443 -6%
Arizona 70 0.428 -10%
Texas 372 0.422 -11%
Alaska 5 0.420 -11%
New York 177 0.409 -14%
Idaho 16 0.391 -17%
District of Columbia 5 0.339 -28%
New Jersey 66 0.328 -31%
Minnesota 37 0.302 -36%
Nebraska 13 0.299 -37%
Utah 27 0.283 -40%
South Dakota 5 0.269 -43%
Oregon 20 0.263 -44%
Colorado 29 0.225 -53%
Massachusetts 30 0.218 -54%
Connecticut 11 0.162 -66%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -68%
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kobe

Kobe is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #519 in 2025 with 578 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1989, 23,126 American babies have been named Kobe. Its peak came in 2020, when 1,575 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kobe stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kobe?

The median living Kobe is about 16 years old; half are between 5 and 23. An estimated 23 thousand people named Kobe are alive in the United States today.

median 16 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kobe year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 39 #3,808 578 #519
2024 41 #3,727 790 #410
2023 41 #3,744 755 #421
2022 51 #3,192 851 #381
2021 60 #2,837 1,117 #298
2020 57 #2,871 1,518 #239
2019 18 #6,570 507 #556
2018 11 #9,508 481 #575
2017 17 #6,962 533 #531
2016 20 #6,302 583 #513
2015 7 #13,801 465 #594
2014 14 #8,302 524 #532
2013 14 #8,375 553 #494
2012 13 #8,901 526 #506
2011 14 #8,433 555 #477
2010 12 #9,539 645 #428
2009 12 #9,725 687 #419
2008 15 #8,349 730 #403
2007 9 #12,185 573 #471
2006 11 #10,282 469 #540
2005 6 #15,524 444 #544
2004 8 #12,235 625 #416
2003 15 #7,417 1,213 #265
2002 16 #6,887 1,392 #244
2001 19 #5,955 1,552 #222
2000 25 #4,725 1,432 #238
1995 – – 9 #6,199
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kobe

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Kobe Bryant Kobe Bryant American basketball player (1978–2020) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kobe Tai Kobe Tai American pornographic film actress b. 1972 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kobe, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kobe?

The median living Kobe is about 16 years old. Half of all living Kobes are between 5 and 23 years old.

How many people named Kobe are alive today?

An estimated 23 thousand people named Kobe are alive in the United States, based on 23,126 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kobe mean?

From Japanese 神(こう)戸(べ) (Kōbe).

How popular is the name Kobe in 2025?

Kobe ranked #519 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 578 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kobe?

23,126 babies have been named Kobe in the United States since 1989, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kobe most popular?

Kobe peaked in 2020, when 1,575 newborns received the name.

Is Kobe a boy or girl name?

Kobe is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kobe rising or falling?

Kobe is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kobe become more popular?

Kobe is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 618 boys named Kobe in 2030, which would rank around #486. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kobe?

Well-known people named Kobe include Kobe Bryant (basketball player), Kobe Tai (pornographic actor).

Names like Kobe

Names that sound and feel close to Kobe: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kobe with similar names → More names starting with K →