boys' name ★ peaked 1959

Timothy

Meaning to honour Gender Boy Rank 2025 #203 Trend ↓ Falling 16%

From Middle French Timothée, from Latin Tīmotheus, from Ancient Greek Τῑμόθεος (Tīmótheos), from τῑμάω (tīmáō, “to honour”) + θεός (theós, “god”).

Rank 2025
#203
among boys · ↑4 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,734
named Timothy · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 985
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1959
30,862 babies
All-time total
1,088,520
#26 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Timothy popularity over time

1,088,520 babies have been named Timothy 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
510152018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 693 693 69 – #166
1890s – 650 650 65 -6% #190
1900s – 647 647 65 0% #220
1910s – 1,918 1,918 192 +196% #280
1920s 18 2,960 2,978 298 +55% #319
1930s 28 5,105 5,133 513 +72% #153
1940s 121 43,503 43,624 4,362 +750% #34
1950s 456 198,324 198,780 19,878 +356% #12
1960s 1,069 276,837 277,906 27,791 +40% #11
1970s 1,102 181,260 182,362 18,236 -34% #17
1980s 1,168 172,835 174,003 17,400 -5% #20
1990s 243 107,772 108,015 10,802 -38% #30
2000s 103 52,470 52,573 5,257 -51% #58
2010s 20 28,234 28,254 2,825 -46% #114
2020s (to 2025) – 10,984 10,984 1,831 -35% #192

Where Timothy 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 1,683 0.99 #207
2027 1,642 0.96 #217
2028 1,607 0.94 #224
2029 1,578 0.92 #226
2030 1,554 0.91 #229

Where Timothy is most popular

Boys named Timothy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.04 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Montana, and Mississippi.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Timothy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 36 3.02 +191%
Montana 42 2.38 +129%
Mississippi 120 2.11 +103%
South Carolina 198 1.92 +84%
New Hampshire 42 1.89 +82%
Kentucky 186 1.85 +78%
Alabama 200 1.83 +76%
Washington 283 1.73 +67%
Wyoming 10 1.73 +66%
West Virginia 54 1.65 +59%
Pennsylvania 415 1.56 +50%
Maine 30 1.55 +49%
North Carolina 387 1.52 +46%
Ohio 401 1.51 +46%
Virginia 283 1.49 +44%
District of Columbia 22 1.49 +43%
Indiana 237 1.48 +42%
Tennessee 266 1.47 +42%
Idaho 60 1.47 +41%
Delaware 22 1.45 +40%
Massachusetts 197 1.43 +38%
Missouri 198 1.43 +38%
Arkansas 90 1.42 +37%
Georgia 358 1.41 +36%
Wisconsin 166 1.40 +35%
Michigan 273 1.33 +28%
Oregon 100 1.32 +27%
Iowa 87 1.26 +21%
Kansas 86 1.25 +21%
Rhode Island 20 1.23 +18%
Illinois 313 1.22 +18%
Maryland 145 1.22 +17%
Louisiana 123 1.20 +16%
Nebraska 52 1.20 +15%
Connecticut 80 1.18 +14%
Oklahoma 104 1.18 +13%
New York 469 1.08 ≈ national
North Dakota 18 1.05 ≈ national
Nevada 60 1.05 ≈ national
Minnesota 128 1.04 ≈ national
New Mexico 34 1.03 ≈ national
Florida 483 1.02 ≈ national
Utah 94 0.985 -5%
New Jersey 194 0.964 -7%
Colorado 119 0.922 -11%
Arizona 139 0.850 -18%
Texas 731 0.830 -20%
California 738 0.807 -22%
Hawaii 12 0.773 -26%
South Dakota 10 0.537 -48%
Vermont – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Timothy

Timothy is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #203 in 2025 with 1,734 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 1,088,520 American babies have been named Timothy. Its peak came in 1959, when 30,862 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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 Timothy stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Timothy?

The median living Timothy is about 52 years old; half are between 38 and 63. An estimated 935 thousand people named Timothy are alive in the United States today.

median 52 020406080100

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

Timothy 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 – – 1,734 #203
2024 – – 1,721 #207
2023 – – 1,747 #211
2022 – – 1,848 #202
2021 – – 1,923 #199
2020 – – 2,011 #192
2019 – – 2,092 #188
2018 – – 2,356 #165
2017 – – 2,420 #163
2016 5 #18,648 2,674 #152
2015 5 #18,884 2,802 #147
2014 – – 3,012 #134
2013 – – 3,068 #124
2012 5 #19,317 3,123 #118
2011 – – 3,233 #123
2010 5 #19,611 3,454 #114
2009 – – 3,773 #109
2008 6 #17,334 4,095 #107
2007 7 #15,355 4,437 #99
2006 5 #19,845 4,706 #93
2005 8 #12,922 5,034 #84
2004 33 #4,276 5,234 #79
2003 13 #8,458 5,487 #76
2002 9 #11,035 6,020 #70
2001 13 #8,163 6,423 #67
2000 9 #10,683 7,261 #58
1995 18 #5,429 9,788 #40
1990 60 #2,173 15,700 #30
1985 133 #1,095 17,140 #26
1980 105 #1,249 19,146 #20
1975 105 #1,118 15,947 #22
1970 141 #919 22,422 #20
1965 112 #981 28,334 #12
1960 89 #1,161 30,498 #11
1955 47 #1,496 20,738 #22
1950 27 #1,869 10,499 #32
1945 10 #3,112 3,591 #70
1940 – – 1,385 #135
1935 5 #4,834 371 #281
1930 5 #5,184 306 #316
1925 5 #5,697 319 #319
1920 – – 269 #366
1915 – – 253 #332
1910 – – 75 #280
1905 – – 73 #226
1900 – – 76 #229
1895 – – 60 #228
1890 – – 56 #223
1885 – – 64 #199
1880 – – 70 #183

Famous people named Timothy

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

  1. 1 Timothy Olyphant Timothy Olyphant American actor (born 1968) Contemporary
  2. 2 Timothy McVeigh Timothy McVeigh American domestic terrorist (1968–2001) Contemporary
  3. 3 Timothy Dalton Timothy Dalton British actor (born 1946) Contemporary
  4. 4 Timothy Spall Timothy Spall English actor (born 1957) Contemporary
  5. 5 Timothy Hutton Timothy Hutton American actor and director (born 1960) Contemporary
  6. 6 Timothy Treadwell Timothy Treadwell American bear enthusiast and documentary filmmaker (1957–2003) Contemporary
  7. 7 Timothy West Timothy West English actor (1934–2024) Contemporary
  8. 8 Timothy Leary Timothy Leary American psychologist (1920–1996) Contemporary
  9. 9 Timothy B. Schmit Timothy B. Schmit American musician (b. 1947) Contemporary
  10. 10 Timothy Laurence Timothy Laurence Retired Royal Navy officer (born 1955) Contemporary
  11. 11 Timothy Omundson Timothy Omundson American actor (born 1969) Contemporary
  12. 12 Timothy Bottoms Timothy Bottoms American actor and film producer b. 1951 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Timothy Bradley American boxer (born 1983) Contemporary
  14. 14 Timothy Geithner Timothy Geithner American banker and politician (born 1961) Contemporary
  15. 15 Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn American science fiction author (born 1951) Contemporary
  16. 16 Timothy Gowers Timothy Gowers British mathematician b. 1963 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Timothy Garton Ash Timothy Garton Ash British historian and author (born 1955) Contemporary
  18. 18 Timothy Pickering Timothy Pickering U.S. statesman and secessionist (1745–1829) 18th century
  19. 19 Timothy M. Dolan Timothy M. Dolan American Catholic cardinal (born 1950) Contemporary
  20. 20 Timothy Chandler Timothy Chandler Soccer player (born 1990) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Timothy?

The median living Timothy is about 52 years old. Half of all living Timothys are between 38 and 63 years old.

How many people named Timothy are alive today?

An estimated 935 thousand people named Timothy are alive in the United States, based on 1,088,520 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Timothy mean?

From Middle French Timothée, from Latin Tīmotheus, from Ancient Greek Τῑμόθεος (Tīmótheos), from τῑμάω (tīmáō, “to honour”) + θεός (theós, “god”).

How popular is the name Timothy in 2025?

Timothy ranked #203 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,734 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Timothy?

1,088,520 babies have been named Timothy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Timothy most popular?

Timothy peaked in 1959, when 30,862 newborns received the name.

Is Timothy a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Timothy rising or falling?

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

Will Timothy become more popular?

Timothy is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,554 boys named Timothy in 2030, which would rank around #229. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Timothy?

Well-known people named Timothy include Timothy Olyphant (actor), Timothy McVeigh (extremist), Timothy Dalton (actor).

Names like Timothy

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

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