Tobias first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Tobias has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Tobias

A masculine name of Hebrew origin related to the term "goodness".

Popularity of Tobias by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Tobias is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 1,213 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Tobias.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 1,213 0
2022 1,244 0
2021 1,235 0
2020 1,285 0
2019 1,315 0
2018 1,291 0
2017 1,342 0
2016 1,522 0
2015 1,122 0
2014 740 0
2013 566 0
2012 518 0
2011 477 0
2010 495 0
2009 535 0
2008 507 0
2007 571 0
2006 552 0
2005 519 0
2004 492 0
2003 494 0
2002 426 0
2001 364 0
2000 339 0
1999 328 0
1998 317 0
1997 262 0
1996 203 0
1995 220 0
1994 186 0
1993 197 0
1992 163 0
1991 191 0
1990 199 0
1989 195 0
1988 186 0
1987 151 0
1986 173 0
1985 153 0
1984 144 0
1983 154 0
1982 192 0
1981 208 0
1980 246 0
1979 279 0
1978 282 0
1977 256 0
1976 277 0
1975 239 0
1974 212 0

The history of the first name Tobias

The name Tobias is of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical name Tobiah, meaning "God is good" or "the goodness of God." It first appeared in the Book of Tobit, an apocryphal Jewish work written around the 3rd century BC.

The earliest recorded use of the name Tobias dates back to the 2nd century BC, found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish texts discovered in the Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea. It was a relatively popular name among Jews during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name Tobias was Tobias ben Eliezer, a Jewish scholar who lived in the 2nd century AD and is mentioned in the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism.

In the Christian tradition, Tobias is also the name of one of the seven archangels, known as the angel who guided Tobit's son in the Book of Tobit. This association with an archangel contributed to the name's popularity among early Christians.

During the Middle Ages, the name Tobias was relatively common in Europe, particularly in Germany and England. One notable bearer was Tobias Crisp (1600-1643), an English Protestant theologian and preacher known for his controversial teachings on antinomianism.

Another famous Tobias was Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), a Scottish poet and author best known for his picaresque novels, such as "The Adventures of Roderick Random" and "The Expedition of Humphry Clinker."

In the world of music, Tobias Hume (1569-1645) was an English composer and soldier, renowned for his works for viols and his innovative musical style. Tobias Picker (born 1954) is a contemporary American composer known for his operas and orchestral works.

The name Tobias has also been borne by several notable scientists and scholars, including Tobias Mayer (1723-1762), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of lunar motion, and Tobias Dantzig (1884-1956), a Polish-American mathematician and statistician.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Tobias was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tobias, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Tobias first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/tobias-meaning-and-history/.

"Tobias first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/tobias-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Tobias first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/tobias-meaning-and-history/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.