Tobi
Tobi was the 3649th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 31 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 2803rd; the most babies were born in 2023 (36). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,619 places. More babies were named Tobi in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Toby) form of Tobias; "God is good" · Hebrew, English
- Rank in 2025
- #3,649 boys, up 1,195 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 31boys
- Girls and boys
- 33% girls, 67% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202336 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,567babies recorded
What does the name Tobi mean?
Tobi 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)
Tobi popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,313 | #3,649 | 13 | 31 |
| 2020 | #6,614 | #4,844 | 18 | 20 |
| 2010 | #8,250 | #7,537 | 15 | 11 |
| 2000 | #4,519 | #5,557 | 27 | 13 |
| 1990 | #4,225 | #9,375 | 24 | 5 |
| 1980 | #2,483 | #6,174 | 39 | 6 |
| 1970 | #1,223 | #3,497 | 92 | 9 |
| 1960 | #1,921 | — | 36 | — |
| 1950 | #2,246 | — | 20 | — |
| 1940 | #3,833 | — | 7 | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Tobi, counting every spelling?
Tobi is a spelling of Toby, a name family that ranked #850 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,649 for Tobi 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 Tobi?
31 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tobi (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Tobi 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 270 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tobi.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tobi?
About 600 people born in the US named Tobi are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 6 and 37. That makes Tobi 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.
Tobi by state
How common Tobi was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five boys 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 Tobi: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tobi, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Tobi
What does Tobi mean?
Tobi is a spelling of Toby, which means “form of Tobias; "God is good"” (Hebrew, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tobi?
Tobi was the 3649th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 31 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 2803rd; the most babies were born in 2023 (36). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,619 places. More babies were named Tobi in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Tobi a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 33% girls, 67% boys given the name Tobi in the US.
Where is Tobi most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tobi was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 boys).