Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Tim

Meaning A diminutive of the male given names Timothy and Timon Gender Boy Rank 2025 #3,230 Trend → Stable

A diminutive of the male given names Timothy and Timon .

Rank 2025
#3,230
among boys · ↓710 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
37
named Tim · -31% vs 2024
How common
1 in 46,164
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
6,944 babies
All-time total
83,546
#354 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Tim popularity over time

83,546 babies have been named Tim since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 139 139 14 – #406
1890s – 132 132 13 -5% #431
1900s – 191 191 19 +45% #398
1910s – 453 453 45 +137% #478
1920s – 607 607 61 +34% #732
1930s – 1,377 1,377 138 +127% #337
1940s 7 8,002 8,009 801 +482% #170
1950s 43 22,202 22,245 2,225 +178% #60
1960s 98 41,572 41,670 4,167 +87% #60
1970s 40 5,305 5,345 535 -87% #199
1980s – 1,131 1,131 113 -79% #677
1990s – 660 660 66 -42% #1,268
2000s – 777 777 78 +18% #1,388
2010s – 576 576 58 -26% #1,942
2020s (to 2025) – 234 234 39 -32% #2,520

Where Tim is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 36 0.02 outside top 500
2027 35 0.02 outside top 500
2028 35 0.02 outside top 500
2029 34 0.02 outside top 500
2030 34 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Tim

Tim is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,230 in 2025 with 37 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 83,546 American babies have been named Tim. Its peak came in 1960, when 6,944 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Tim stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tim?

The median living Tim is about 63 years old; half are between 59 and 66. An estimated 64 thousand people named Tim are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Tim year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 37 #3,230
2024 – – 54 #2,520
2023 – – 37 #3,285
2022 – – 32 #3,607
2021 – – 42 #2,968
2020 – – 32 #3,482
2019 – – 57 #2,389
2018 – – 57 #2,353
2017 – – 53 #2,444
2016 – – 68 #2,083
2015 – – 61 #2,228
2014 – – 75 #1,942
2013 – – 51 #2,456
2012 – – 41 #2,901
2011 – – 48 #2,586
2010 – – 65 #2,094
2009 – – 69 #2,032
2008 – – 70 #2,026
2007 – – 77 #1,873
2006 – – 78 #1,786
2005 – – 84 #1,633
2004 – – 60 #2,019
2003 – – 88 #1,491
2002 – – 79 #1,569
2001 – – 81 #1,513
2000 – – 91 #1,388
1995 – – 51 #1,753
1990 – – 77 #1,268
1985 – – 101 #905
1980 – – 165 #677
1975 5 #10,492 327 #436
1970 16 #3,857 1,324 #199
1965 14 #3,532 3,718 #97
1960 13 #3,669 6,931 #60
1955 – – 1,144 #212
1950 5 #6,032 754 #242
1945 – – 779 #192
1940 – – 333 #308
1935 – – 131 #500
1930 – – 61 #839
1925 – – 60 #868
1920 – – 64 #851
1915 – – 40 #1,014
1910 – – 34 #478
1905 – – 19 #546
1900 – – 22 #516
1895 – – 15 #554
1890 – – 17 #455
1885 – – 16 #477
1880 – – 12 #563

Famous people named Tim

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Tim Curry Tim Curry English actor and singer (1946–2026) Contemporary
  2. 2 Tim Burton Tim Burton American filmmaker (born 1958) Contemporary
  3. 3 Tim Allen Tim Allen American actor and comedian (born 1953) Contemporary
  4. 4 Tim Robbins Tim Robbins American actor (born 1958) Contemporary
  5. 5 Tim Cook Tim Cook American business executive (born 1960) Contemporary
  6. 6 Tim Daly Tim Daly American actor (born 1956) Contemporary
  7. 7 Tim Duncan Tim Duncan American basketball player (born 1976) Contemporary
  8. 8 Tim Roth Tim Roth English actor (born 1961) Contemporary
  9. 9 Tim Berners-Lee Tim Berners-Lee English computer scientist (born 1955) Contemporary
  10. 10 Tim Matheson Tim Matheson American actor (born 1947) Contemporary
  11. 11 Tim Blake Nelson Tim Blake Nelson American actor (born 1964) Contemporary
  12. 12 Tim Conway Tim Conway American actor and comedian (1933–2019) Contemporary
  13. 13 Tim Howard Tim Howard American soccer player (born 1979) Contemporary
  14. 14 Tim Buckley Tim Buckley American musician (1947–1975) Contemporary
  15. 15 Tim Kang American actor b. 1973 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Tim Rice Tim Rice English lyricist and author (born 1944) Contemporary
  17. 17 Tim McInnerny Tim McInnerny British actor (born 1956) Contemporary
  18. 18 Tim Pigott-Smith Tim Pigott-Smith British actor and author (1946–2017) Contemporary
  19. 19 Tim Russ Tim Russ American actor (born 1956) Contemporary
  20. 20 Tim Miller Tim Miller American filmmaker (born 1964) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Tim, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Tim?

The median living Tim is about 63 years old. Half of all living Tims are between 59 and 66 years old.

How many people named Tim are alive today?

An estimated 64 thousand people named Tim are alive in the United States, based on 83,546 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tim mean?

A diminutive of the male given names Timothy and Timon .

How popular is the name Tim in 2025?

Tim ranked #3,230 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 37 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tim?

83,546 babies have been named Tim in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tim most popular?

Tim peaked in 1960, when 6,944 newborns received the name.

Is Tim a boy or girl name?

Tim is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Tim rising or falling?

Tim is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Tim become more popular?

Tim is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 34 boys named Tim in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Tim?

Well-known people named Tim include Tim Curry (actor), Tim Burton (film director), Tim Allen (actor).

Names like Tim

Names that sound and feel close to Tim: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Tim with similar names → More names starting with T →