Boy · #223 in 2026

Timothy

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

Timothy is a masculine name. It is a version of the Greek name Τιμόθεος (Timόtheos) meaning 'one who honours God', from τιμή 'honour' and θεός 'god'. Timothy is a common name in several countries.

Current Rank

#223

Peak Rank

#11 (1959)

Total Babies

1.1M

5-Yr Trend

-20%

1921

First Year

2016

Last Year

1981

Peak Year

#1004

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Timothy

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

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

The Story of Timothy

Timothy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 70 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 30,784 Timothys were born — ranking #12 that year. As of 2026, Timothy ranks #223 for baby boys with 1,631 births, falling sharply (-20%). In total, more than 1.1M Timothys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Timothy

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

Tamatha
Tennessee
Tennesee
Tenessee
Tenacy
Timmy
Timi
Dimity
Timone
Tammany
Tomasi
Tinamou

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Timothy

What does the name Timothy mean?

How popular is Timothy in 2026?

In 2026, Timothy ranks #223 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,631 babies given the name that year.

When was Timothy most popular?

Timothy reached its peak popularity in 1959, ranking #11 that year with 30,784 babies given the name.

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

Timothy has historically been most popular in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Timothy.

Is Timothy a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Timothy?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Timothy include Willie, Jack, Levi. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Timothy

Timothy is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.1M births in the dataset. Timothy's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #11. Use the chart and map above to compare Timothy'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.