Holding steady.
Popularity of Bilbo since 1910
Babies named Bilbo per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 107 |
| 1920s | 25 |
| 1930s | 0 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Bilbo is a name that owes its entire existence to literature. First recorded in U.S. Social Security data in 1910, two decades before The Hobbit's publication, its early usage likely reflects the rare appearance of a family surname as a given name. The name's peak year came in 1911, with a handful of births, but it was the 1937 novel that gave Bilbo its lasting cultural resonance. Since then, the name has remained exceptionally uncommon, with no significant revival despite the popularity of Tolkien's works. The trajectory has been stable, with sporadic use over the decades. For parents drawn to literary names with a strong character association, Bilbo offers a distinctive choice, though it carries the weight of its fictional bearer's identity more heavily than most names.
Bilbo is a literary name created by J.R.R. Tolkien for the protagonist of his 1937 novel The Hobbit. Tolkien may have drawn inspiration from a real surname or from the word bilbo, a type of Spanish sword. The name was virtually unused as a given name before the book's publication, and its subsequent adoption as a baby name remains extremely rare.
Sibling names for Bilbo
Names that share Bilbo's style, for a brother or sister.
