Meaning and history
Kobe is best known internationally as a Japanese place-name, written 神戸 and meaning “god’s door” or “shrine gate.” Its modern use as a given name was strongly influenced by American basketball player Kobe Bryant, who was named after the Japanese beef associated with the city. The name subsequently became familiar well beyond Japan.
20062006: 469 births, rank #538
2007: 573 births, rank #471
2008: 730 births, rank #403
2009: 687 births, rank #419
2010: 645 births, rank #428
20112011: 555 births, rank #477
2012: 526 births, rank #506
2013: 553 births, rank #494
2014: 524 births, rank #532
2015: 465 births, rank #594
20162016: 583 births, rank #512
2017: 533 births, rank #531
2018: 481 births, rank #575
2019: 507 births, rank #556
2020: 1,518 births, rank #239
20212021: 1,117 births, rank #297
2022: 851 births, rank #381
2023: 755 births, rank #421
2024: 790 births, rank #410
20252025: 578 births, rank #518
Kobe moved from #410 to #519 for boys between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 2001, with 1,552 births.