Toby is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God is good." It is derived from the Aramaic name Tobiah, which was used by several characters in the Old Testament of the Bible. The most famous Tobyah was the enemy of Nehemiah, who was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
The name Toby has been popular throughout history and across different cultures. It was used by several prominent historical figures, such as Toby Philpot, an English actor and comedian who was a member of the famous comedy troupe Monty Python, and Toby McGuire, an American film actor and director who is best known for his role as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Today, Toby remains a popular name for boys. It is often used as a nickname for the name Tobias or other names that begin with the sound "tob." The name has also been popularized by various characters in popular culture, such as Toby McTeague from the novel "The Stories of Tobias Smollett" and Toby Ziegler from the television show "The West Wing."
Overall, the name Toby is a classic choice with a rich history and meaningful signification. Its Hebrew origin and biblical associations give it a sense of timelessness, while its popularity throughout different cultures and time periods demonstrates its enduring appeal.
Based on the provided statistics, the name Toby experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the years. The name first peaked in popularity between 1915 and 1916 with a high of 46 births in 1916. After this initial peak, there was a steady decline until the late 1930s when the name started to gain traction again, reaching another peak in 1936 with 152 births.
From the 1940s onwards, Toby maintained a relatively consistent level of popularity, with the number of births fluctuating between approximately 80 to 170 per year. There was another notable spike in popularity during the mid-1970s, with 158 births recorded in 1975.
However, starting from the late 1970s and throughout most of the 1980s and early 1990s, Toby's popularity decreased significantly, with fewer than 60 births per year on average. It was not until the mid-1990s that the name began to gain popularity again, eventually peaking once more in 2012 with 98 births recorded.
In total, over the course of these years, there were 8,185 births recorded for the name Toby, indicating that it has been a consistently present and relatively popular choice among parents during this period.