boy's name
Tim
TIM
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 92,590
France
#277
2025 births
Tim means honoring God, and France ranks it 277th — far above the United States at 3221st, which is the reverse of what an English short form would normally do. We record 91,996 lifetime births for it, strongest in France.
- Tim is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1960, when 6,944 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 89,606 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Tim over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 139 |
| 1890s | 132 |
| 1900s | 191 |
| 1910s | 453 |
| 1920s | 607 |
| 1930s | 1,377 |
| 1940s | 8,009 |
| 1950s | 22,245 |
| 1960s | 41,670 |
| 1970s | 5,345 |
| 1980s | 1,131 |
| 1990s | 660 |
| 2000s | 777 |
| 2010s | 576 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 234 |
What Tim means
Tim means honoring God, carried from Timothy. The Greek joins a verb meaning to honor to theos, God, so the compound describes an act of reverence.
Where Tim comes from
Tim shortens Timothy, from the Greek Timotheos — timao, to honor, joined to theos, God. Timothy is Paul's companion and the recipient of two letters in the New Testament, and Paul describes his mother and grandmother by name, which is unusual. The same timao gives the -tim in Timon, and theos gives theology and Dorothy. Tim became a registered name in its own right in twentieth-century use, alongside Jim, Chris and Steve.
Tim in use
Tim peaked in the United States in 1960, when 6,944 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 277th in France on 195 births — far above every other market — then 1021st in Ireland, 3166th in England and Wales and 3221st in the United States on 37, across 92,590 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. France ranking an English short form highest is genuinely unexpected.
How popular is Tim?
In 2025, Tim was given to 37 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Tim is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Tim
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Tim also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Tim over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Tim in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Tim
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Tim — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Tim
What does the name Tim mean?
Honoring God — the Greek timao, to honor, joined to theos, God.
Is Tim short for Timothy?
Yes, though it is widely registered as a name in its own right.
Who was Timothy?
Paul's companion and the recipient of two New Testament letters.
Where is Tim most used?
France at 277th, far above the United States at 3221st.
How popular is the name Tim?
In 2025, Tim was given to 37 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Tim a girl's or a boy's name?
Tim is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Tim?
Tim has 1 syllable.
When was Tim most popular?
Tim peaked in 1960, when 6,944 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Tim a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Tim currently ranks #277 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.