The baby name Hobson is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈhɒbsən/ (HOB-sən).
Hobson is English in Origin.
The baby name Hobson is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈhɒbsən/ (HOB-sən).
Hobson is English in Origin.
Hobson is an English patronymic that became a given name, meaning “son of Hob.” Hob was a common Middle English diminutive of Robert, whose Germanic roots - hrod “fame” and berht “bright” - yield the sense “bright fame.” Thus, Hobson effectively means “son of Robert.” The surname appears in medieval records across England and later traveled to North America, where it remained primarily a family name but occasionally served as a first name.
As a given name, Hobson has seen sporadic use from the 18th to early 20th centuries and today fits the modern surname-as-first-name trend, sometimes used unisex. The idiom “Hobson’s choice” (from the Cambridge liveryman Thomas Hobson, 1544–1631) keeps the name culturally familiar. Variants and related forms include Hobbs, Hobbes, Hopson, and the archaic Hobsonne; cognate patronymics are Robson and Robertson. Nicknames can be Hob, Hobie/Hoby, or Sonny.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI | Boys | 0 | #44 | 1 | 917 |
| PH | 0 | #110 | 1 | 5,607 | |
| GH | 0 | #248 | 1 | 5,396 | |
| JM | Girls | 0 | #277 | 2 | 7,507 |
| SG | 0 | #282 | 1 | 11,010 | |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #331 | 1 | 9,639 |
| PL | Boys | 0 | #340 | 1 | 6,459 |
| GH | Boys | 0 | #361 | 1 | 8,138 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #557 | 1 | 12,905 |
| BH | 0 | #587 | 1 | 17,937 | |
| BR | Boys | 0 | #784 | 2 | 12,213 |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #826 | 1 | 15,093 |
| United States | Boys | 2021 | #906 | 5 | 7,214 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #998 | 4 | 16,906 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,181 | 2 | 25,439 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,269 | 4 | 25,619 |
Hobson is popular in 14 countries — most recent births per country:
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