The curious name Bibb debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1926. In fact, it was the most impressive debut name of the year. But it only popped up in the data a total of three times:
- 1936: unlisted
- 1935: unlisted
- 1934: 9 baby boys named Bibb — 7 born in Alabama
- 1933: unlisted
- […]
- 1928: unlisted
- 1927: 12 baby boys named Bibb — all born in Alabama
- 1926: 14 baby boys named Bibb — all born in Alabama
- 1925: unlisted
- 1924: unlisted
Where did it come from?
My initial guess was 1920s Major League baseball player Bibb Falk. Then I checked the SSA’s state-by-state data, and saw that most of the usage was happening in Alabama. That led me to Alabama politician Bibb Graves.
David Bibb Graves (who went by his middle name, which was also his mother’s maiden name) was a two-time Governor of Alabama. He was first elected in 1926, serving from 1927 to 1931. He was elected for a second time in 1934, serving again from 1935 to 1939.
Notably, many of the Alabama babies named Bibb were given Graves as a middle name. Examples include…
- Bibb Graves Adams (b. 1926)
- Bibb Graves White (b. 1927)
- Bibb Graves Watson (b. 1927)
What are your thoughts on Bibb as a first name?
Sources: Bibb Graves – Wikipedia, Find a Grave, SSA