Given name & surname
Tobi
“God is good”·“The Lord is good”
Tobi is a variant of Tobias. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord is good.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Hebrew use, Tobi carries the interpretation “God is good.” Tobi is a variant of Tobias. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord is good.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
Tobi is used as a feminine counterpart of Tobias.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1934. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Tobi is a variant of Tobias. The history of Tobias gives this family its wider story. Tobias appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Tobi through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,567
- 631 boys · 2,936 girls
- Most popular year
- 1975
- 161 babies
- 2025
- 44
- #3,649 for boys · #8,313 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +49%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 60% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 31 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,649 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 101.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 13 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,414 as a first name in 2020; 177 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.
Tobi’s family of names
Tobi is a feminine form of Tobias. Tobi has a related form in Toby. Tobi has a related form in Tobias.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Tuviaequivalent
- Tobiaequivalent
- Thobiasequivalent
- Tobbeequivalent
- Topiequivalent
- Tobiášequivalent
- טוביהequivalent
- Topiasequivalent
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People named Tobi
- Tobi AmusanNigerian athletics competitorborn 1997
- Tobi BakreNigerian actorborn 1994
- Tobi MakindeNigerian actor and filmmaker (born 1991)
- Tobi VailAmerican musicianborn 1969
- Tobi Adebayo-RowlingBritish association football playerborn 1996
- Tobi AdewoleAmerican soccer playerborn 1995
- Tobi SijuadeNigerian swimmerborn 2002
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tobi, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jayme
“he who supplants” · “she who supplants”
36% boys · 64% girls
Elisha
“God is my salvation”
74% boys · 26% girls
Mica
“who is like (Yahweh)?”
54% boys · 46% girls
Jacky
“God is gracious” · “the supplanter”
73% boys · 27% girls
Jamie
“she who supplants” · “he who supplants”
47% boys · 53% girls
Yona
“dove” · “resembling a dove”
62% boys · 38% girls
Ari
“resembling a lion or an eagle”
62% boys · 38% girls
Jael
“resembling a mountain goat”
49% boys · 51% girls