Toby
Say it: TOH-bee/ˈtəʊbi/
BoyMeans yahweh is good4 letters2 syllables
#329
in Ireland (2025)
#319 with spellings combined
12
babies in 2025
#172
best rank (2022)
447
babies since 1971
Down 54
10-year rank change
Toby through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #319 |
| 2024 | 15 | #269 |
| 2023 | 19 | #230 |
| 2022 | 31 | #172 |
| 2021 | 20 | #233 |
| 2020 | 21 | #224 |
| 2019 | 27 | #198 |
| 2018 | 29 | #195 |
| 2017 | 21 | #244 |
| 2016 | 20 | #245 |
| 2015 | 18 | #265 |
| 2014 | 28 | #208 |
| 2013 | 21 | #252 |
| 2012 | 16 | #290 |
| 2011 | 22 | #238 |
| 2010 | 18 | #269 |
| 2009 | 10 | #366 |
| 2008 | 18 | #252 |
| 2007 | 20 | #225 |
| 2006 | 17 | #222 |
| 2005 | 9 | #283 |
| 2004 | 9 | #283 |
| 2003 | 7 | #305 |
| 2002 | 5 | #348 |
| 2001 | 4 | #347 |
| 1997 | 4 | #337 |
| 1977 | 3 | #333 |
| 1971 | 3 | #304 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Toby mean?
Yahweh is good
English, the Middle English everyday form of Tobias, from Hebrew Tobiah.
Say it right
TOHbee
The story of Toby
Toby is the everyday English form of Tobias, and has been in use since the Middle Ages. Tobias is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew Tobiah, which is usually explained as “Yahweh is good”. Tobias is the hero of the Book of Tobit, a story of a young man’s journey with the angel Raphael.
English literature has several well-known Tobys. Shakespeare gave the name to Sir Toby Belch, the loud and cheerful uncle in Twelfth Night, and Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy has the kindly Uncle Toby.
In Ireland Toby first appears in the CSO records in 1971, but it stayed rare until the 2000s. Its best year was 2022, with 31 boys and a rank of number 172. In 2025, 12 boys were named Toby. It has been used a little more in Northern Ireland, where 18 boys got the name in 2025 and it reached number 90 in 2017.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Toby (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Toby
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Toby | 12 | 447 |
In Northern Ireland
#126 in 2025 with 18 babies. Best rank #90 (2017); 488 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.