unisex name
Toby
TOH-bee
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 79,347
the United States
#978
2025 births
Toby is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is good." It is the English form of Tobias, from Toviyah, and was one of the most common names in medieval England before the Reformation pushed it aside.
- Toby is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1975, when 1,349 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 860 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Toby over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Toby is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. 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 | 10 |
| 1890s | 6 |
| 1900s | 69 |
| 1910s | 457 |
| 1920s | 662 |
| 1930s | 1,448 |
| 1940s | 2,600 |
| 1950s | 3,081 |
| 1960s | 5,083 |
| 1970s | 10,850 |
| 1980s | 4,206 |
| 1990s | 3,493 |
| 2000s | 5,437 |
| 2010s | 4,140 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,691 |
What Toby means
Toby means God is good, or the Lord is good. The Hebrew is a two-word statement — tov, good, and yah, God — compressed into a name, which is the standard pattern for Old Testament names.
Where Toby comes from
Toby anglicizes Tobias, the Greek form of the Hebrew Toviyah, from tov, good, and yah, a shortened divine name. The name belongs to the Book of Tobit, which tells of a young man guided on a journey by the archangel Raphael in disguise — a story that was hugely popular in medieval Europe and made Tobias a common English name. The Reformation removed Tobit from the Protestant canon as apocryphal, and the name's use fell away with it, though it never disappeared. Toby jugs, the character mugs made from the 1760s, and Toby the dog in Punch and Judy kept the name in English life.
Toby in use
Our data records Toby for both sexes and shows it falling, peaking in 1975, at 89 in England and Wales against 978 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1882. Its British use is about eleven times its American use, the usual pattern for a name that never made the crossing.
How popular is Toby?
In 2025, Toby was given to 613 babies in England and Wales, ranking #89 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Toby is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Toby
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Toby also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Toby over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Toby 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 Toby
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Toby — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Toby
What does the name Toby mean?
Toby means "God is good," from the Hebrew tov, good, and yah, God.
Is Toby short for Tobias?
Historically yes, though Toby has been used as an independent name in England for centuries.
Why did Toby fall out of use after the Reformation?
The Book of Tobit, which made Tobias popular, was removed from the Protestant canon as apocryphal, and the name declined with it.
How popular is the name Toby?
In 2025, Toby was given to 613 babies in England and Wales, ranking #89 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Toby a girl's or a boy's name?
Toby is used for both girls and boys. About 11% of recorded births with this name are girls.
How many syllables are in Toby?
Toby has 2 syllables.
When was Toby most popular?
Toby peaked in 1975, when 1,349 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Toby a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Toby currently ranks #89 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.