boy's name
Kobe
KOH-bee
- Origin Japanese
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 27,418
the United States
#519
2025 births
Kobe is a boy's name best known from the Japanese city, whose name means "door of the gods". Kobe Bryant was named after Kobe beef on a restaurant menu, which makes the world's most famous bearer a case of a name arriving by way of dinner.
- Kobe is a name of Japanese origin.
- Peaked in 2020, when 1,575 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,373 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1989.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kobe over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1980s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 2,458 |
| 2000s | 9,253 |
| 2010s | 5,512 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,898 |
What Kobe means
Kobe as a place name means the door or gate of the gods, from kan, a deity, and be, a door or household serving a shrine. As a Hebrew name it is separately a form of Jacob.
Where Kobe comes from
Kobe names the Japanese port city, from kanbe, the households attached to the Ikuta Shrine — kan, a god, and be, a hereditary occupational group. The city gives its name to Kobe beef, and Joe Bryant chose the name for his son after seeing it on a restaurant menu, which is how the name reached most of the world. It exists separately as a Dutch and Flemish short form of Jacob, and as a Swahili word for tortoise. Our records show it appearing in 1989 — the year after Kobe Bryant's birth is 1978, but American use follows his NBA career from 1996 rather than his birth.
Kobe in use
Kobe charts in all seven countries we track and peaked in 2020, the year of Kobe Bryant's death.
How popular is Kobe?
In 2025, Kobe was given to 617 babies in the United States, ranking #519 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Kobe is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Kobe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kobe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kobe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Kobe in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Kobe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kobe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kobe
What does the name Kobe mean?
Door of the gods, from the Japanese city — kan, a deity, and be, the households serving a shrine.
Was Kobe Bryant named after the city?
After Kobe beef, which is named for the city. His father chose it from a restaurant menu.
Is Kobe a Japanese given name?
It is a place name rather than a personal name in Japan. It is separately a Dutch short form of Jacob.
How popular is the name Kobe?
In 2025, Kobe was given to 617 babies in the United States, ranking #519 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Kobe a girl's or a boy's name?
Kobe is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kobe?
Kobe has 2 syllables.
When was Kobe most popular?
Kobe peaked in 2020, when 1,575 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Kobe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kobe currently ranks #232 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.