The Hobbs surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 48,522 people carried this name — #717 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,080 people counted. That is up 3% from 47,220 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Hobbs surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Robert + the patronymic suffix -s.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Hobbs» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Robert’.

An early record he cites: John Hobbes, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Hobbs, Hobson and Hobbes.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 387 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 5 births for the Hobbs name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 2
Ulster 2
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

23 people named Hobbs live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 12
Aargau 5
St. Gallen 3
Vaud 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 20 people named Hobbs.

Most of them — 17 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 1 département, most often Somme.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 17
Somme 3

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

38 people named Hobbs is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 38

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Hobbs was found among the farmers of 7 counties.

It was most frequent in Buckinghamshire: 45 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 222. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Buckinghamshire 45
Gloucestershire 36
Wiltshire 32
Berkshire 30
Hertfordshire 20
Northamptonshire 15
Oxfordshire 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Hobbs was recorded 13 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1564th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 13. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

157 families named Hobbs, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 856 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 35
North Carolina 33
Massachusetts 25
Maine 19
New Hampshire 19
Virginia 6
South Carolina 6
Vermont 5
New York 4
Pennsylvania 4
Connecticut 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Hobbs in American newspapers,
1875–1917.

Newspaper page from Nashville Union And American carrying the name Hobbs
Nashville Union And American 1875-01-22
Newspaper page from The Evening Herald carrying the name Hobbs
The Evening Herald 1917-02-06
Newspaper page from The Evening Herald carrying the name Hobbs
The Evening Herald 1917-02-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Hobbs in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

72,239 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hobbs. The most, 14,318, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 19,092
Victoria 13,891
Queensland 12,573
Tasmania 11,794
Western Australia 7,409
South Australia 7,127
ACT (Canberra) 230
Northern Territory 29

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hobbs.

Who carried it

People named Hobbs,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Hobbs
    John Hobbs 1800–1883 · missionary
  • Alfred Charles Hobbs
    Alfred Charles Hobbs 1812–1891 · technician
  • William Hobbs
    William Hobbs 1822–1890 · surgeon
  • Henry Hobbs
    Henry Hobbs 1827– · politician
  • George Miller Hobbs
    George Miller Hobbs 1827–1912 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 256 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Hobbs,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,145 records

3,145 records of the Hobbs name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,528
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 679
  • Other U.S. records 938
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Bill F. Hobbs

    Born 1930; from Nowata County, Oklahoma. U.S. Army, heavy weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in North Korea. Buried at Restlawn Cemetery, Coffeyville, Kansas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Frances A. Hobbs

    Born 1919 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1944 in the Women's Army Corps at Minneapolis; clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Hobbs

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the City of Chester from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; servant. From Berkshire, England; bound for New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,145 records for Hobbs in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,784 records

1,784 records of the Hobbs name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 811
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 352
  • Other Australian records 621
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Hobbs

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Isabella, sailing from Woolwich in 1842. Native of Newbury, Wiltshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 31.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frank Edwin Hobbs

    Married 1887 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 24. Died 1936 in Tasmania, aged 72. Will registered in Tasmania in 1936.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Eliza Helena Hobbs

    Born 1839 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1857 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,784 records for Hobbs in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada168 records

168 records of the Hobbs name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 81
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 25
  • Other Canadian records 62
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ed Hobbs

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Guelph, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record May Hobbs

    Buried in 1988 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 74.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Lemuel Hobbs

    Died 1925 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 168 records for Hobbs in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand113 records

113 records of the Hobbs name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 109
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Hobbs

    Died 1916, aged 65; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Hobbs

    Died 1932, aged 47; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record J. Hobbs

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 113 records for Hobbs in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

United Kingdom101 records

101 records of the Hobbs name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 74
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 20
  • Other British records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Helen Hobbs

    Died 1988, aged 63; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Hobbs

    Will proved in 1936; of Pembroke Dock.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Hobbs

    Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 101 records for Hobbs in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Hobbs name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record E.g. Hobbs

    Died 1944 in Zelhem; soldier.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Hobbs

    Died 1907 in Rotterdam, aged 42.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Hobbs in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Ireland7 records

7 records of the Hobbs name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Hobbs

    Died 1976; buried at Clontuskert, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Hobbs

    Died 1955; buried at Clontuskert, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 7 records for Hobbs in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Hobbs name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Albert Hobbs

    Born 1916 in Ireland; died 1994 in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Hobbs.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Hobbs is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Hobbs volume
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