girl's name
Toni
TOH-nee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 109,355
Northern Ireland
#509
2017 births
Toni has no established meaning, because Antonia does not — the Roman family name Antonius is probably Etruscan, and the flower reading attached to Anthony is a Renaissance invention. Its strongest market is Scotland, at 916th.
- Toni is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1960, when 2,930 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 37,252 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1907.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Toni over time
Births per decade in the United States, 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 | 8 |
| 1910s | 199 |
| 1920s | 650 |
| 1930s | 1,562 |
| 1940s | 9,984 |
| 1950s | 21,436 |
| 1960s | 25,090 |
| 1970s | 16,175 |
| 1980s | 12,229 |
| 1990s | 8,529 |
| 2000s | 3,540 |
| 2010s | 1,679 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 681 |
What Toni means
Toni has no securely known meaning. It shortens Antonia, from the Roman Antonius, a family name of probable Etruscan origin whose sense has never been recovered.
Where Toni comes from
Toni shortens Antonia and Antoinette, from the Roman gens name Antonius — probably Etruscan, a language attested in too few words to translate. The flower gloss that circulates for Anthony came from Renaissance scholars linking Antonius to the Greek anthos, and the h in the English spelling was inserted to match a connection that does not exist. Toni belongs with Tonya, Tanya and Sonya among mid-century short forms, of which only Tonya shares an origin with it.
Toni in use
Toni peaked in the United States in 1960, when 2,930 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 916th in Scotland on 3 births, 2265th in the United States on 89, 2880th in France on 20 and 7059th in England and Wales, across 109,355 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. About 96 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is Toni?
In 2025, Toni was given to 89 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Toni 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 Toni
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Toni also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Toni over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Toni 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.
- Danish
- Antonia
- Dutch
- Antoinette Antonia Antony Antonius
- French
- Antoinette
- German
- Antonia
- Polish
- Antonia
- Spanish
- Antonia
- Swedish
- Antonia
Sibling names for Toni
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Toni — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Toni
What does the name Toni mean?
Not known. Antonia comes from the Roman Antonius, which has no established derivation.
Does Anthony mean flower?
No. That was a Renaissance guess, and the h was inserted into the English spelling to match it.
Is Toni related to Tanya?
No — Tanya comes from Tatiana. Only Tonya shares an origin with Toni.
How popular is Toni?
916th in Scotland, its strongest market, and 2265th in the United States.
Is Toni a girl's or a boy's name?
Toni is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Toni?
Toni has 2 syllables.
Is Toni a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Toni currently ranks #916 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.