Tobian
A modern diminutive variant name of Hebrew origin meaning "The Lord is good".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Tobian. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tobian today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tobian births was 1973 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tobian. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tobian. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1973
7 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1975 SSA rank
#6,266
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Tobian: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tobian by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tobian during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tobian
The name Tobian has its origins in the Late Latin name Tobias, which in turn is derived from the Hebrew name Tobiah, meaning "God is good." This name can be traced back to the Book of Tobit, one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible, where it is the name of the central character.
The earliest known bearer of the name Tobian was Tobian of Cyrene, a Jewish philosopher who lived in the 1st century BC. He was a disciple of the Greek philosopher Zeno of Citium and is mentioned in the writings of the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger.
In the Middle Ages, the name Tobian was relatively rare but still found occasional use. One notable bearer was Tobian, the Bishop of Würzburg in the 10th century, who played a role in the Christianization of parts of modern-day Germany.
During the Renaissance period, the name saw a slight resurgence in popularity, particularly in Italy. One of the most famous Tobians from this era was Tobian Nugarola, an Italian humanist and philosopher who lived in the 15th century and was known for his translations of Greek texts into Latin.
Another notable Tobian was Tobian Stuart, a Scottish soldier and explorer who lived in the 17th century. He is best known for his travels in the Americas and his writings about the indigenous peoples he encountered.
In the 19th century, the name Tobian was relatively uncommon but still found use in some parts of Europe. One bearer was Tobian Bergmann, a German geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossils and the classification of rocks.
While not as common as some other names, Tobian has had a presence throughout history, particularly in religious and scholarly circles. Its meaning, derived from the Hebrew name Tobiah, has given it a sense of reverence and significance, even if its usage has been relatively limited over the centuries.
People
Tobian + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tobian as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tobian: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tobian?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tobian going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Tobian a common name?
We classify Tobian as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tobian most popular?
The single biggest year for Tobian was 1973, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tobian is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tobian in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tobian a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tobian in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Tobian still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tobian in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tobian can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Tobian?
See how many Americans are named Tobian on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.