Given name & surname

Tim

“one who honors God”·“a respected man”·“one who is famous”

In English use, Tim is a diminutive of Timothy. One Greek interpretation is “one who honors God.” In English use, Tim is a diminutive of Timon. One Greek interpretation is “a respected man.”

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Meaning & origin

What it means

In English use, Tim is a diminutive of Timothy. One Greek interpretation is “one who honors God.” In English use, Tim is a diminutive of Timon. One Greek interpretation is “a respected man.” In German use, Tim is a diminutive of Dietmar. One German interpretation is “one who is famous.”

Explained through its name family

Where it comes from

In English use, Tim is a diminutive of Timothy. An origin associated with Timothy is Greek. In German use, Tim is a diminutive of Dietmar. An origin associated with Dietmar is Germanic.

Explained through its name family

How it developed

In English use, Tim is used as a shortened form of Timothy.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Tim through the years

Babies since 1880: 83,546; 83,358 boys · 188 girls
Most popular year: 1960; 6,944 babies
2025: 37; #3,230 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20: −24%; Easing

Tim in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inFlorida, California

FewerMore, relative to births Not published

2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Florida (5), California (5).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 37 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,230 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 24.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6,931 in 1960. In 2025, California and Florida shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 143,982 as a first name in 2020; 952 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Tim’s family of names

In English usage, Tim is a diminutive of Timothy. In German usage, Tim has a related form in Timo. Tim is a short form of Timothy.

Walk Tim’s family in the name graph

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Tim has relatives in 6 languages.

12 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Dots on the border stand for languages further away. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 11

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

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Spellings & scripts 4

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 6

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

People named Tim

Characters named Tim: Tim Drake (DC Comics character), Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol).

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love Tim, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Biblical

Sibling ideas

Names that share Tim’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

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