Hobbits are the small, home-loving fictional people at the center of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit who lives in Bag End, a comfortable home in Hobbiton in the Shire. Hobbits generally value food, gardens, family, predictable routines, and peaceful domestic life. Bilbo’s decision to join Thorin Oakenshield’s company therefore represents a dramatic departure from the expectations of his community.
Hobbits also become central to The Lord of the Rings. Frodo Baggins inherits the One Ring, Samwise Gamgee accompanies him, and Merry and Pippin play important roles in the wider war. Their ordinary appearance and modest social position contrast with the immense historical importance of their actions.
Hobbits are not the same as Dwarves, Ents, or Maiar. Dwarves are a separate people, Ents are shepherds of trees, and Maiar are powerful spiritual beings. Tolkien sometimes used “Halflings” as another name for Hobbits, but “Hobbits” is the canonical answer here.