UK boy's name
Tobiah
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "The Lord is good".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Tobiah is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Tobiah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4789, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 8 births.
This profile covers 71 England and Wales registrations across 16 recorded years from 1999 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 38% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 71 living people in the UK are called Tobiah. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Tobiah ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales in 2021, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 8 boys were registered as Tobiah.
- • About 71 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tobiah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4789
2021
Births in 2021
3
Latest year
Peak year
2015
8 births
Estimated living
71
2026
Meaning
What does Tobiah mean?
The name Tobiah has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the word "Tov," meaning "good," and "Yah," a shortened form of the Hebrew name for God, Yahweh. This combination results in the meaning "God is good" or "Goodness of God."
The earliest recorded use of the name Tobiah can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Book of Nehemiah and the apocryphal Book of Tobit. In the Book of Nehemiah, Tobiah is mentioned as an Ammonite official who opposed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The Book of Tobit, on the other hand, features Tobiah (or Tobit) as the central character, a pious and righteous man who goes blind but is eventually healed through divine intervention.
The name Tobiah appears to have been prevalent among Jewish communities during ancient times. One notable individual bearing this name was Tobiah ben Eliezer, a Jewish scholar who lived in the 11th century and wrote several important works on Hebrew grammar and biblical exegesis.
Moving forward in history, the name Tobiah was also used by some Christian communities, particularly in English-speaking countries. One of the earliest known English bearers of the name was Tobiah Matthew, an English Protestant scholar and Bible translator who lived from around 1546 to 1628.
Another notable figure with the name Tobiah was Tobiah Smollett, a Scottish novelist and playwright born in 1721. He is best known for his picaresque novels, including "The Adventures of Roderick Random" and "The Expedition of Humphry Clinker."
In the 19th century, Tobiah Pitt was a prominent American Quaker and abolitionist who worked tirelessly to end slavery. He was born in 1773 and lived until 1857.
The name Tobiah also has a connection to the arts, with Tobiah Smollett, a British painter and engraver who lived from 1766 to 1843, being one of the notable bearers of the name during this period.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Tobiah, each contributing to the rich tapestry of its usage and significance across various cultures and time periods.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Tobiah over time
The chart below shows babies named Tobiah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Tobiah, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2021, compared with 8 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tobiah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tobiah was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4789 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #3634 | 44 | 9 |
| 2000s | #3144 | 20 | 5 |
| 1990s | #2425 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Tobiah
- Thomas 160,894
- Tyler 42,147
- Theo 40,594
- Toby 32,482
- Theodore 30,211
- Tommy 25,300
- Teddy 20,781
- Taylor 14,354
- Tobias 13,102
- Tom 9,822
- Tristan 9,171
- Timothy 6,200
FAQ
Tobiah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Tobiah in the UK right now?
In 2021, Tobiah was ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Tobiah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 8 babies registered as Tobiah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Tobiah?
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "The Lord is good".
How many people are called Tobiah in the UK?
A total of 71 babies have been registered as Tobiah across the 16 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.