Girl · #8,157 in 2026

Tabby

Name: Popularity of the name Tabby in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Tabby, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

A tabby cat, or simply tabby, is any domestic cat with a coat pattern distinguished by an M-shaped marking on its forehead, stripes by its eyes, cheeks, along its back, and around its legs and tail. Tabby cats display characteristic striped, dotted, lined, flecked, banded, or swirled patterns on the body: the neck, shoulders, sides, flanks, or chest.

English

Current Rank

#8,157

Peak Rank

#3,371 (1971)

Total Babies

162

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1955

First Year

1976

Last Year

1971

Peak Year

#3371

Peak Rank

162

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Tabby

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

Etymology

The English term tabby originally referred to "striped silk taffeta ". It was derived from the French word tabis , meaning "a rich watered silk ". This can be further traced to the Middle French atabis (14th century), which stemmed from the Arabic term عتابية / ʿattābiyya . This word is a reference to the Attabiya district of Baghdad , noted for its striped cloth and silk, itself named after the Umayyad governor of Mecca Attab ibn Asid . Such silk cloth became popular in the Muslim world and spread to England, where the word "tabby" became commonly used in the 17th and 18th centuries. Use of t

Origin & history

Since the tabby pattern is a common wild type, it might be assumed that medieval cats were tabbies. However, the natural philosopher John Aubrey believed this to be untrue. Sometime after the mid-17th century, he noted that William Laud , the Archbishop of Canterbury was " a great lover of Cats " and " was presented with some Cyprus -cats, i.e. our Tabby-Cats ". He then claimed that " I doe well remember that the common English Catt, was white with some blueish piednesse [i.e. with grey parts]. The race or breed of them is now almost lost. " Despite this, most drawings and paintings of cats in

The Story of Tabby

American parents first put Tabby on the record books as a baby girl name in 1955, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1971, when 19 Tabbys were born — ranking #3,371 that year. The 1960s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 47% of all recorded Tabbys. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1976 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 162 Tabbys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Tabby

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Tabby. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Tabby

Phonetically similar names — useful when Tabby is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Taboo
Toby
Tubby
Tobi
Tb
Tobey
Tappy
Tabi
Tibby
Tobie
Tibi
Tybee

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tabby

What does the name Tabby mean?

What is the origin of the name Tabby?

Tabby has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Tabby in 2026?

In 2026, Tabby ranks #8,157 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Tabby most popular?

Tabby reached its peak popularity in 1971, ranking #3,371 that year with 19 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Tabby most popular?

Tabby has historically been most popular in Ohio. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Tabby.

Is Tabby a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Tabby is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Tabby?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Tabby include Didi, Marvette, Trinita. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Tabby?

Common variants and related forms of Tabby include Tabatha, Tabitha, Tibby. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Tabby

Tabby is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1955 and has accumulated 162 births in the dataset. Tabby's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #3,371. Use the chart and map above to compare Tabby's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.