boys' name ★ peaked 2016

Tobias

Meaning my good is YHWH Gender Boy Rank 2025 #283 Trend → Stable

Derived from Ancient Greek Τωβίας (Tōbías), from Hebrew טוֹבִיָּה (toviyá, literally “my good is YHWH”).

Rank 2025
#283
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,201
named Tobias · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,422
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
1,523 babies
All-time total
29,322
#689 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Tobias popularity over time

29,322 babies have been named Tobias 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2016Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s 38 4 – #669
1890s 23 2 -39% #874
1900s 37 4 +61% #853
1910s 144 14 +289% #1,299
1920s 155 16 +8% #1,581
1930s 107 11 -31% #1,494
1940s 160 16 +50% #1,579
1950s 243 24 +52% #1,299
1960s 576 58 +137% #774
1970s 2,102 210 +265% #476
1980s 1,807 181 -14% #547
1990s 2,266 227 +25% #592
2000s 4,811 481 +112% #472
2010s 9,410 941 +96% #246
2020s (to 2025) 7,443 1,241 +32% #263

Where Tobias 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 1,196 0.70 #284
2027 1,192 0.70 #284
2028 1,188 0.70 #285
2029 1,185 0.69 #286
2030 1,182 0.69 #287

Where Tobias is most popular

Boys named Tobias per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.712 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota.

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 Tobias 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
Montana 37 2.10 +195%
New Mexico 64 1.94 +173%
South Dakota 35 1.88 +164%
Oklahoma 133 1.50 +111%
North Dakota 24 1.41 +97%
Missouri 194 1.40 +97%
Kansas 96 1.40 +97%
Idaho 56 1.37 +92%
Alaska 16 1.34 +89%
Arkansas 82 1.30 +82%
Indiana 202 1.26 +77%
West Virginia 41 1.26 +76%
Oregon 95 1.25 +76%
Wyoming 7 1.21 +70%
Nebraska 52 1.20 +68%
Colorado 150 1.16 +63%
Hawaii 18 1.16 +63%
Nevada 66 1.16 +63%
Washington 185 1.13 +59%
Kentucky 111 1.11 +55%
New Hampshire 24 1.08 +52%
Minnesota 130 1.06 +49%
Ohio 280 1.06 +48%
Wisconsin 124 1.05 +47%
Tennessee 179 0.992 +39%
Michigan 203 0.991 +39%
Maine 19 0.979 +38%
Utah 93 0.974 +37%
Iowa 66 0.957 +34%
Connecticut 59 0.872 +22%
South Carolina 89 0.861 +21%
North Carolina 217 0.850 +19%
Pennsylvania 220 0.829 +16%
Virginia 154 0.812 +14%
Arizona 130 0.795 +12%
Mississippi 45 0.792 +11%
Delaware 12 0.791 +11%
Maryland 93 0.780 +10%
Alabama 84 0.768 +8%
Illinois 195 0.763 +7%
Florida 353 0.746 +5%
Louisiana 69 0.675 -5%
Texas 555 0.630 -12%
Georgia 159 0.628 -12%
Massachusetts 85 0.618 -13%
California 465 0.509 -29%
New York 218 0.503 -29%
New Jersey 78 0.387 -46%
District of Columbia 5 0.339 -52%
Rhode Island – – –
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 Tobias

Tobias is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #283 in 2025 with 1,201 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 29,322 American babies have been named Tobias. Its peak came in 2016, when 1,523 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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

How old are people named Tobias?

The median living Tobias is about 11 years old; half are between 5 and 24. An estimated 28 thousand people named Tobias are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

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

Tobias year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 1,201 #283
2024 1,220 #280
2023 1,222 #279
2022 1,262 #275
2021 1,243 #276
2020 1,295 #263
2019 1,319 #272
2018 1,295 #273
2017 1,344 #269
2016 1,523 #246
2015 1,123 #316
2014 743 #418
2013 568 #486
2012 520 #509
2011 480 #529
2010 495 #522
2009 536 #504
2008 507 #529
2007 572 #472
2006 552 #480
2005 523 #480
2004 493 #496
2003 495 #499
2002 427 #527
2001 365 #569
2000 341 #586
1995 220 #720
1990 199 #724
1985 156 #709
1980 246 #547
1975 239 #522
1970 142 #701
1965 70 #880
1960 45 #1,177
1955 20 #1,789
1950 27 #1,429
1945 14 #1,919
1940 18 #1,677
1935 9 #2,701
1930 8 #3,266
1925 11 #2,737
1920 21 #1,741
1915 16 #1,870
1910 8 #1,299
1905 – –
1900 5 #1,488
1895 – –
1890 7 #874
1885 – –
1880 7 #800

Famous people named Tobias

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

  1. 1 Tobias Menzies Tobias Menzies English actor (born 1974) Contemporary
  2. 2 Tobias Harris Tobias Harris American basketball player (born 1992) Contemporary
  3. 3 Tobias Wolff Tobias Wolff American author (born 1945) Contemporary
  4. 4 Tobias Smollett Tobias Smollett Scottish writer and surgeon (1721–1771) 18th century
  5. 5 Tobias Moretti Tobias Moretti Austrian actor (born 1959) Contemporary
  6. 6 Tobias Lindholm Tobias Lindholm Danish screenwriter and film director b. 1977 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Tobias Wendl Tobias Wendl German luger (born 1987) Contemporary
  8. 8 Tobias Linderoth Tobias Linderoth Swedish footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  9. 9 Tobias Arlt Tobias Arlt German luger (born 1987) Contemporary
  10. 10 Tobias Figueiredo Tobias Figueiredo Portuguese footballer b. 1994 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Tobias Hysén Tobias Hysén Swedish footballer b. 1982 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Tobias Furneaux Tobias Furneaux 18th-century English navigator and explorer 1735–1781 · 18th century
  13. 13 Tobias Sana Tobias Sana Swedish footballer (born 1989) Contemporary
  14. 14 Tobias Rieder Tobias Rieder German ice hockey player (born 1993) Contemporary
  15. 15 Tobias Asser Tobias Asser Dutch lawyer and academic (1838–1913) 19th century
  16. 16 Tobias Sippel Tobias Sippel German footballer (born 1988) Contemporary
  17. 17 Tobias Strobl German footballer (born 1990) Contemporary
  18. 18 Tobias Mayer Tobias Mayer 18th-century German astronomer (1723–1762) 18th century
  19. 19 Tobias Angerer Tobias Angerer German cross-country skier b. 1977 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Tobias Kamke Tobias Kamke German tennis player (born 1986) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Tobias?

The median living Tobias is about 11 years old. Half of all living Tobiass are between 5 and 24 years old.

How many people named Tobias are alive today?

An estimated 28 thousand people named Tobias are alive in the United States, based on 29,322 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tobias mean?

Derived from Ancient Greek Τωβίας (Tōbías), from Hebrew טוֹבִיָּה (toviyá, literally “my good is YHWH”).

How popular is the name Tobias in 2025?

Tobias ranked #283 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,201 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tobias?

29,322 babies have been named Tobias in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tobias most popular?

Tobias peaked in 2016, when 1,523 newborns received the name.

Is Tobias a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Tobias rising or falling?

Tobias is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Tobias become more popular?

Tobias looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,182 boys named Tobias in 2030, ranking around #287. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Tobias?

Well-known people named Tobias include Tobias Menzies (actor), Tobias Harris (basketball player), Tobias Wolff (writer).

Names like Tobias

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

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