In American usage, bubba is a relationship nickname formed from brother and given to boys, especially eldest male siblings, to indicate their role in a family. For some boys and men, bubba is used so pervasively that it replaces the given name. The nickname may also be used outside the family by friends as a term of affection.
Because of its association with the southern part of the United States, bubba is also often used outside the South as a pejorative to mean a person of low economic status and limited education. Bubba may also be taken to mean one who is a "good ol' boy."In the US Army and Marines, bubba can mean a lay soldier, similar to grunt but with connotations of endearment instead of derision (e.g., "Can you make that device easier to work with, 'cus every bubba is gonna have to use it.").
At times it may be used as a term of endearment (or in an insulting sense) for a person, especially a man, who is overweight or has a large body frame. In popular culture and prison slang, it is often joked that new male prisoners will be locked up with a large guy called Bubba who will become forcibly sexually intimate with them.
Bubba has also developed into a proper noun, used as a term of endearment, to describe someone who is especially lovable or adorable , or to refer to someone's significant other (e.g., "She's my Bubba.").
The word exists in other languages and carries similar meanings. Bubba is common in Australia as a noun or pronoun to refer affectionately to a baby.
People and Characters Named or Nicknamed "Bubba"moreless
People
Former President of the United States Bill Clinton.
Television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw.
Bubba Bechtol, Comedian, Grand Ole Opry performer (Terryl Bechtol)
Seattle Mariners outfielder Bubba Crosby.
Tommy "Bubba" Facenda, rockabilly singer/dancer, Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps
Bubba Franks, National Football League player for The New York Jets.
Bubba Lewis, American actor (Thomas Lewis real name)
Professional wrestler Mark LoMonaco wrestled under the ring name Bubba Ray Dudley.
Bubba Paris, former National Football League player.
Professional Motocross rider James Stewart Jr..
Southern rapper Bubba Sparxxx.
Bubba Pond, multiple time winner of the "Tough Guy of the Week" award.
Bubba Shobert, former motorcycle racer
Bubba Smith, actor and former National Football League player.
Radio talk show host Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.
Bubba Trammell, former Major League Baseball player.
Bubba Wells, former National Basketball Association player.
Bubba, aka Bandit Bub, a photographer and initiator of the Million Dollar Kids.
Bubba Watson, PGA Tour golfer.
Bubba Phillips former Major League Baseball Player
Animals
Bubba the Grouper (d. 2006), a Queensland grouper who resided at the Shedd Aquarium, noted for being the first known fish to undergo chemotherapy.
Fictional characters
Television and movies
Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue in the movie Forrest Gump
Bubba the Caveduck from Disney's 1987 series DuckTales
Bubba Ho-tep, a name given to a reanimated Egyptian mummy by Elvis Presley in Joe R. Lansdale's novella and film of the same name
Bubba Zanetti, in the movie Mad Max
Bubba Higgins, in the situation comedyMama's Family
Bubba Bexley, a recurring character in the situation comedy Sanford and Son
Bubba Bixby, a character from the TV movie, Shredderman Rules, a film based on the books
Plumber Bubba a fictional comedian based on Larry The Cable Guy and idolized by Rusty and Early Cuyler on the Adult Swim animated series Squidbillies
Bubba Skinner, a leading character from the TV seriesIn the Heat of the Night.
Bubba J, a puppet of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham
Bubba the Chimp, a character on Quigley's Village
Bubba Bo Bob Brain, Brain's fictitious country music star persona from a Pinky and the Brain segment on the U.S. cartoon series Animaniacs
Leatherface, or Bubba Sawyer, from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Reverend Bubba Flavell, from the movie The Next Day
Bubba Ray Dudley, an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Books
Bubba Kelly, a character in Carson McCullers' novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
a character in A Drink Before the War
Alvin "Bubba" Bixby, the bully in Wendelin Van Draanen's Shredderman series.
Bubba is a character in the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris and is a "codename" for Elvis who is now a vampire in this series
Games
One of the protagonists of Amiga computer game Bubba 'n' Stix
Monster from video game Total Destruction
One of the protagonists of Redneck Rampage
Monster in Super Mario 64
A character in the game Jagged Alliance 2
Music
Bubba, the main protagonist in the novelty single The Shriners Convention by singer Ray Stevens.
Bubba Shot the Jukebox, a single by country singer Mark Chesnutt.
If Bubba Can Dance , a single by country group Shenandoah.
Bubba Hyde, a Top 20 hit Diamond Rio.
Popular culture
On many Dutch news blogs, such as GeenStijl, NUjij and SpitsNieuws, Bubba refers to a fictional or hypothetical character in prison. Bubba is a big overweight or buffed bad-ass prisoner, who uses his physical appearance to anally violate other prisoners to fulfill his own sexual needs, i.e.: "He better not drop the soap; Bubba has been very lonely lately."