Given name & surname
Toby
“The Lord is good”·“God is good”
Toby is a variant of Tobias. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord is good.” Toby is a variant of Tobi. In Hebrew use, Tobi carries the interpretation “God is good.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Toby is a variant of Tobias. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord is good.” Toby is a variant of Tobi. In Hebrew use, Tobi carries the interpretation “God is good.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Toby is a variant of Tobias. An origin associated with Tobias is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Toby is used as a form of Tobias.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Toby 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
Toby through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 43,233
- 34,846 boys · 8,387 girls
- Most popular year
- 1975
- 1,349 babies
- 2025
- 335
- #979 for boys · #1,923 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 72% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 234 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 979 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 24.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,191 in 1975. It also appeared in 101 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 34,007 as a first name in 2020; 1,540 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.
Toby’s family of names
In English usage, Toby is a diminutive of Tobias. Toby has a related form in Tobi. Toby has a related form in Tobias.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Tuviaequivalent
- TobieFrench
- Thobiasequivalent
- Tobiaequivalent
- Tobbeequivalent
- Topiequivalent
- Tobiášequivalent
- Tobitequivalent
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People named Toby
- Toby AlderweireldBelgian association football player (born 1989)
- Toby JonesBritish actorborn 1966
- Toby FoxAmerican video game designer and composer (born 1991)
- Toby KebbellBritish actorborn 1982
- Toby KeithAmerican country music singer and actor (1961–2024)
- Toby StephensBritish actorborn 1969
- Toby HussAmerican actorborn 1966
- TobyMacAmerican Christian rapper and singerborn 1964
- Toby Leonard MooreAustralian actorborn 1981
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Toby, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elisha
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74% boys · 26% girls
Jona
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63% boys · 37% girls
Mica
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54% boys · 46% girls
Jacky
“God is gracious” · “the supplanter”
73% boys · 27% girls
Kobi
“woman from California”
56% boys · 44% girls
Dannie
“he judged”
47% boys · 53% girls
Ely
“one who has ascended; my God on high”
71% boys · 29% girls
Torrey
“victorious woman; winner; conqueror”
67% boys · 33% girls