Tabitha
Tabitha was the 1308th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 171 babies. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked 126th with 2,309 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 365 places. More babies were named Tabitha in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning "gazelle" · Aramaic
Say it TAB-ih-thuh /ˈtæbɪθə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,308 girls, up 34 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 171girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19782,309 babies
- Total since 1880
- 59,346babies recorded
What does the name Tabitha mean?
Tabitha is an Aramaic word for "gazelle" or "doe". In Acts 9:36 the name belongs to a charitable woman of Joppa whom Peter raises from the dead; the text gives her Greek name, Dorcas, which means the same. DMNES notes that Protestants began using Tabitha in the 16th century. It was most popular in the US in the 1970s and 1980s.
טביתא (Aramaic, “ṭabitha, gazelle, doe”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Dorcas, Tabatha, Tabby.
See also: Aramaic names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tabitha', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Tabitha', DMNES (Durham University)
- New Testament, Acts 9:36 (NRSV Updated Edition), Bible Gateway
Nicknames for Tabitha
The usual nicknames for Tabitha are Tabby.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tabby | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Tabithas go by each one.
Tabitha popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 146 since 1970.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,308 | 171 |
| 2020 | #1,342 | 165 |
| 2010 | #632 | 465 |
| 2000 | #319 | 992 |
| 1990 | #164 | 1,765 |
| 1980 | #155 | 1,788 |
| 1970 | #279 | 1,049 |
| 1960 | #2,238 | 28 |
| 1950 | #3,215 | 12 |
| 1940 | #3,478 | 8 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #3,563 | 9 |
| 1910 | #2,747 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #1,511 | 5 |
| 1880 | #672 | 8 |
How popular is Tabitha, counting every spelling?
Tabitha has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,240 for girls in 2025, against #1,308 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Tabitha?
171 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tabitha (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tabitha born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 49 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tabitha.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tabitha?
About 56,800 people born in the US named Tabitha are alive today, with a median age of 39; half are between 30 and 46. That makes Tabitha mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Tabitha by state
How common Tabitha was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 27 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tabitha: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tabitha, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Tabitha · Sibling names for Tabitha
Questions about the name Tabitha
What does Tabitha mean?
Tabitha means “"gazelle"” (Aramaic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tabitha?
Tabitha was the 1308th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 171 babies. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked 126th with 2,309 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 365 places. More babies were named Tabitha in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Tabitha a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tabitha in the US.
Where is Tabitha most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tabitha was most common in Missouri (0.16 per 1,000 girls), followed by Utah and Florida.