Bob Gibson
There are approximately 25 people named Bob Gibson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Bob with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Gibson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
25
1 in 13,710,174
Named Bob
41K
Alive today
Named Gibson
210K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 41K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1959
Average age: 72
Top Census group: White (82.7%)
Estimated bearers: 210K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #136
Per 100K: 61.20
Top ancestry: White (69.2%)
First name trend
Bob: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Bob. The peak year was 1959 with 2,834 births. The average person named Bob today is 72 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bob
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Bob, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 82.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bob described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Bob at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White82.7% · 42,275
- Black or African American5.5% · 2,814
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 2,405
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 2,043
- Two or more races2.1% · 1,090
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 472
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Gibson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Gibson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 69.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Gibson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Gibson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White69.2% · 126,670
- Black or African American21.4% · 39,218
- Two or more races4.6% · 8,348
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 5,915
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,640
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,126
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Bob has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0121% of the US population, based on 41,459 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Bob right now.
The surname Gibson appears at a rate of 61.20 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0612%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 25 people with the full name Bob Gibson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Bob
Related
Other people with the surname Gibson
FAQ
Bob Gibson: questions and answers
How many people are named Bob Gibson?
We estimate approximately 25 people in the United States share the full name Bob Gibson. That works out to about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0121%) with the surname frequency (61.20 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Bob Gibson?
We classify Bob Gibson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 13,710,174 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Bob a male or female name?
Bob is predominantly male. Out of 93,300 total SSA registrations, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. See the full Bob profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are called Bob Gibson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.