"Concerning Hobbits," read the first words of the book There And Back Again, the semi-autobiography of esteemed burglar Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. The story of The Lord of the Rings is a story about Hobbits as much as it is about the One Ring, and Tolkien was clear about how much he admired them.
As Gandalf the Gray often observed, Hobbits are a mysterious and elusive race. Other than a few famous names that appeared in the movies, fans who haven't read the books probably don't know how diverse and interesting Hobbit history really is.
There's a reason these folks are obsessed with family trees, as there are stories here that would impress Game of Thrones fans, right down to the wars between dynasties and rival houses. Most of the information about famous Hobbits in history who don't appear in the movies is found in the Appendixes of the books or in other materials that are part of the vast LotR universe.
7 Rosa Baggins
Rosa started out as a Baggins, but when she married one of the Old Tooks' sons, she changed her name. The Old Took, whose real name was Gerontius, gets a mention or two in the movies. He was famous for living to a ripe old age of 130 years.
Rosa Took is an important ancestor in both the Baggins and Took family tree, even though she only married once and had a single son, Adalgrim. Adalgrim Took is essentially the founder of the Took line in the Shire and an ancestor to both Meriadoc and Peregrin, the same Hobbits who came across Samwise and Frodo one night in Farmer Maggot's field.
6 Laura Grubb
Laura Grubb is an important person in the Baggins Family tree. She changed her name to Baggins when she married a prominent member of that family, Mungo, and assumed the title of Head of the Family when he passed away. The role of Matriarch wasn't lightly given and was an indication of the high esteem Laura had in the community.
Laura had five children, Bungo, Belba, Linda, Longo, and Bingo. Her eldest son, Bungo, was famous for taking over her role when she died. His only son Bilbo would surpass them both in notoriety in later years.
5 Bungo Baggins
Bungo Baggins carried on the proud traditions of the Bagginses as movers and shakers of the Shire. He not only took over his mother's role as Head of the Family, but he married a Took, the raven-haired Belladonna. Viewers of the animated features or movies can see her portrait in various places in Bag End if they pay attention.
That got some people talking already, and when he built the luxurious Bag End as a way to honor his bride, the gossip was intense. Years later, nobody was surprised when his only son Bilbo would welcome Wizards and Dwarves into his home and disappear for months on end.
4 Gorhendad Brandybuck
An ancestor of Merry's on the Brandybuck side, Gordended was also known as Oldbuck, which was the name he took before he changed it to Brandybuck and settled in Buckland. He was the 11th Thain in the Oldbuck line, but he changed history and decided to be the Master of Buckland.
Gorhended led the colonization and built and excavated Brandy Hall as a symbol of his leadership. This is far back in history, but measured by Hobbits as opposed to Elves, so about three generations back and well within the Third Age.
3 Marcho and Blanco
These two brothers had a number of mutual accomplishments and are equally famous, so it makes sense that they share a place of honor. They lived in a time long past, so far back that their surnames and exact family ties are unknown. They were Fallohide Hobbits, and of the three known Hobbit sub-races, these were those that often had fair, thick hair and seldom grew beards.
Early in the Third Age, Marcho and his brother Blanco asked the Argeleb II, the King of Arthedain, for permission to migrate with a group of followers from their present home in Bree to the lands of the Brandywine River and the Far Downs. The Shire was founded by this same group of settlers not long afterward.
2 Sancho Proudfoot
Unlike certain Hobbits that are famous in the history of the Shire and Middle Earth, Sancho comes from the contemporary lore of Middle Earth as opposed to the past. He was but a wee hobbit of merely eleven years old when he attended the infamous Birthday Party of Bilbo Baggins, who was not only a neighbor, but his uncle.
Sancho is briefly mentioned in The Fellowship Of The Ring and Appendix C, but he also appears in a 2002 video game for the Xbox entitled The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This is one time when gamers and bookworms alike have an advantage over movie fans.
1 Bucca of the Marish
One of the most significant names in the history of Hobbits in general and the Shire specifically, Bucca was the first Thain of the land now known as the Shire. His nickname is taken from his homeland, the Marish, a land on the western side of the Brandywine River and located in the Eastfarthing. This is a region known for its misty bogs and rich farmland, and it's also where Farmer Maggot had his field.
Bucca founded the Oldbuck family, and it's from this family line that many significant and famous Hobbits trace their ancestry. The Brandybucks, for example, were formerly Oldbucks, and almost every Hobbit in the Shire has family among the Brandybucks.