boy's name
Timothée
tee-mo-TAY
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 26,164
France
#102
2025 births
Timothée is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "honoring God," the French form of Timothy. It ranks 102nd in France, and unlike the modern coinage Timéo it is the inherited saint's name with a continuous history.
- Timothée is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2013, when 780 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,016 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Timothée over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 90 |
| 1910s | 90 |
| 1920s | 120 |
| 1930s | 45 |
| 1940s | 70 |
| 1950s | 100 |
| 1960s | 80 |
| 1970s | 395 |
| 1980s | 2,605 |
| 1990s | 4,850 |
| 2000s | 5,700 |
| 2010s | 7,020 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,075 |
What Timothée means
Timothée means honoring God. It joins the Greek time, honor, with theos, God, making it a complete statement rather than a single element, which is what distinguishes it from Timéo.
Where Timothée comes from
Timothée is the French form of the Greek Timotheos, from time, honor, and theos, God. Timothy was a companion of Paul and the recipient of two New Testament letters; by tradition he became the first bishop of Ephesus and was martyred there. The name was rare in medieval western Europe and was taken up after the Reformation, when biblical names came back into use. In France it exists alongside the modern Timéo, which borrows the Greek stem without the second element — so the two names look like variants but one is inherited and the other invented. The actor Timothée Chalamet has raised the French spelling's international profile.
Timothée in use
Timothée ranks 102nd in France with about 580 births in 2025 and its peak in our records is 2013. The unaccented Timothee appears beyond 2,300 in England and Wales and beyond 3,700 in the United States, where Timothy is the standard form. Our data carries the French spelling from 1900, giving it a continuous record that Timéo, first appearing in 1998, does not have.
How popular is Timothée?
In 2025, Timothée was given to 580 babies in France, ranking #102 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Timothée is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Timothée is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Timothee | Timothee is a spelling of Timothée, used in Canada, where it ranks #860. | 1,964 |
Names that peaked alongside Timothée
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Timothée also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Timothée over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Timothée
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Timothée 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 Timothée
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Timothée — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Timothée
What does the name Timothée mean?
Timothée means "honoring God," from the Greek time, honor, and theos, God.
Is Timothée the same as Timéo?
No. Timothée is the inherited saint's name; Timéo is a modern French formation using only the first element.
Who was Timothy in the Bible?
A companion of Paul and the recipient of two New Testament letters, by tradition the first bishop of Ephesus.
How do you pronounce Timothée?
tee-mo-TAY, with the th sounded as t.
Is Timothée a girl's or a boy's name?
Timothée is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Timothée most popular?
Timothée peaked in 2013, when 780 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Timothée?
Timothée is usually shortened to Tim.
Is Timothée a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Timothée currently ranks #102 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.