Find out how popular the last name Tobey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tobey.

Tobey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tobey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tobey in America

Tobey is the 8732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tobey surname appeared 3,756 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tobey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tobey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tobey

The surname Tobey has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the place name Toby, which is found in various parts of England, particularly in Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The name is thought to stem from an Old Norse word, "topt," meaning a homestead or a piece of ground.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tobey can be found in the Feet of Fines records for Lincolnshire in 1197, where a person named William de Toby is mentioned. In the 13th century, the surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, where it is spelled as "Toby" and "Thobie."

The Tobey family was well-established in various parts of England, with records showing their presence in counties like Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. A notable figure from this period was John Tobey, a merchant from Lincolnshire, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1523.

As the Tobey family spread across England, various spelling variations emerged, including Toby, Tobee, and Tobaye. These variations can be found in historical documents such as parish registers and court records from the 16th and 17th centuries.

One prominent individual with the surname Tobey was Sir John Tobey (1579-1650), a Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby in Lincolnshire during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and supported King Charles I.

Another notable figure was Thomas Tobey (1628-1704), an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony. He arrived in America in 1639 and became a prominent landowner and farmer in the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, the Tobey family continued to grow and spread across England and the American colonies. Reverend Samuel Tobey (1717-1802) was a prominent minister in the Church of England who served as the rector of St. Peter's Parish in Northampton, Massachusetts.

During the 19th century, the surname Tobey gained recognition through individuals like Alvan Tobey (1808-1889), a successful merchant and businessman from Massachusetts who made his fortune in the whaling industry.

Throughout its history, the surname Tobey has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, farmers, clergymen, and businessmen. While its origins can be traced back to England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through the migration of English settlers to the American colonies and other regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tobey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tobey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tobey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tobey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tobey, 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!