Hobbes is generally a boy's name. It comes from the Old English version. It means "bright fame". The two variants of this name are Hob and Hobbs. Hobbes is also a surname to the very well known 17th-century English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes. The well-liked cartoon puffy tiger shaped by Bill Watterson was named after him. Bill Watterson described him as "a dim view of human nature." Hobbes is a personality in the slapstick comedian strip Calvin and Hobbes.