Toby means God is good — a diminutive of Tobias, from the Hebrew. In the Book of Tobit, Tobias journeys with the archangel Raphael — the most magical biblical road trip. The Office's Toby IS TV's most hilariously underappreciated. Roots' Toby IS the most devastating name-scene in TV. Two syllables of the archangel-road-trip, The-Office-underappreciated, and Roots-most-devastating.
The Office's Toby IS hilariously underappreciated.
Roots' Toby IS TV's most devastating scene.
Two syllables with a gentle, warm sound: TOH-bee.
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The vibe of Toby
God is goodTobiasHebrewTobitarchangel Raphaelroad tripThe OfficeRootsdevastating
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Origin & history of Toby
Hebrew Tobiyah (God is good)→Tobias→diminutive Toby
1
English roots
Toby means God is good. Tobias journeyed with archangel Raphael. The Office's Toby is hilariously underappreciated. Roots' Toby is the most devastating.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Diminutive; Book of Tobit; The Office (2005).
3
Today
Toby remains a beloved choice, ranking #978 in the US. 42,891 babies have been named Toby since 1882.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
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How popular is Toby?
1975peak year
Today, Toby is rarely chosen — ranked around #978, with only about 320 babies given the name per year. But it wasn't always this way. At its peak in 1975, 1,191 babies were given the name (ranked #190 nationally). Its strongest stretch was the 1970s. Toby has been declining in recent years. In all, around 42,891 babies have been registered as Toby since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Toby's Life Path 6 is the nurturer's number — archangel-journey nurturing. People named Toby tend to be gentle, warm, and gifted at journeying with archangels AND being hilariously underappreciated.
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Archangel journey AND underappreciated
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Tobias-Raphael
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Office-hilarious
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Roots-devastating
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God-is-good
T2
O6
B2
Y7
Sum: 17 → Life path 8
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Personality of Toby
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Built for success
They don't dream of achievement — they plan for it.
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Commanding presence
They walk in and people notice.
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Strategic mind
Always three moves ahead.
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Unbreakable
Setbacks sharpen them. Resilience is in their DNA.
Every name has a homeland. Discover strong boy names rooted in cultures from around the world — each with full meanings, origin stories and pronunciation.