What is the name of the hobbit who leaves the Shire in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit?

Bilbo Baggins is the hobbit who leaves the Shire in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

Bilbo begins the novel as a respectable, comfort-loving resident of Hobbiton. The wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves recruit him as their burglar for a journey to the Lonely Mountain, where the company hopes to reclaim treasure from the dragon Smaug.

During the adventure, Bilbo finds a mysterious ring in the Misty Mountains and encounters Gollum. That discovery links The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings, where Bilbo’s decision to give the ring to Frodo becomes crucial. Bilbo is sometimes confused with Frodo because both are central hobbit characters and ring-bearers, but Bilbo is the protagonist of The Hobbit.