Tobey
Tobey was the 9619th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 1167th; the most babies were born in 2003 (85). Over the last ten years it has moved down 5,334 places. More babies were named Tobey in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Toby) form of Tobias; "God is good" · Hebrew, English
- Rank in 2025
- #9,619 boys, down 2,625 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 8boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200385 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,456babies recorded
What does the name Tobey mean?
Tobey is a spelling of Toby, pronounced the same way, so it shares Toby's meaning and origin.
Toby is the medieval English everyday form of Tobias, from the Hebrew Toviyah, "God is good" (DMNES: "the goodness of God"). Tobias is the hero of the Book of Tobit, which is in the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testament. Wikipedia notes Toby can also come from the Irish surname Tobin. In the US it is mainly a boys' name and was most common in the 1970s.
טוביה (Hebrew, “Toviyah, "God is good"”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Tobias, Tobiah, Tobin, Tobey.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Toby', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Tobias', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Toby', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Tobey popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | #9,619 | — | 8 |
| 2020 | — | #6,994 | — | 12 |
| 2010 | — | #3,122 | — | 37 |
| 2000 | — | #3,903 | — | 21 |
| 1990 | #15,110 | #4,962 | 5 | 11 |
| 1980 | #4,730 | #1,960 | 16 | 29 |
| 1970 | #2,776 | #1,886 | 26 | 23 |
| 1960 | — | #2,112 | — | 16 |
| 1950 | #4,287 | #4,152 | 8 | 5 |
| 1940 | #4,300 | — | 6 | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Tobey, counting every spelling?
Tobey is a spelling of Toby, a name family that ranked #850 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #9,619 for Tobey on its own. Together these spellings went to 273 boys in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Tobey?
8 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tobey (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Tobey 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 1,057 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tobey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tobey?
About 1,500 people born in the US named Tobey are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 20 and 51. That makes Tobey mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tobey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tobey, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Tobey
What does Tobey mean?
Tobey is a spelling of Toby, which means “form of Tobias; "God is good"” (Hebrew, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tobey?
Tobey was the 9619th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 1167th; the most babies were born in 2003 (85). Over the last ten years it has moved down 5,334 places. More babies were named Tobey in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Tobey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Tobey in the US.