Hob means elf, from Hobbe, a variant of Rob (Hick for Richard, Hodge for Rodger) an abbreviation or alternative form of Robin Goodfellow, an elf in German folklore.
In local fairy tales of England, the Yorkshire hob was a fairy who was typically mean to people.
In the United Kingdom, Singapore, and other parts of the commonwealth, a hob is the top cooking surface on a cooker (referred to as a 'stove top' in the United States). It typically comprises several cooking elements (often four), also known as 'rings'.