Koby is a spelling of Kobe, which American parents took from the basketball star Kobe Bryant, named after the Japanese city of Kobe, whose name is usually explained as "door of the gods" or "gateway to the shrine"; the name is also read as a short form of Jacob, "supplanter". Koby ranked number 533 in 2000, in the early years of Bryant's fame, left the top 1000 in the 2010s and stands at number 2174 in 2025.