Tobey
Tobey is both a surname and unisex given name of Irish origin.
Meaning & Origin of Tobey
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Tobey is both a surname and unisex given name of Irish origin.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Tobey
As a girl name
Tobey first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1914, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1975: 53 births, good for #1,755 nationwide. About 39% of every Tobey on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. Tobey last appeared in the published SSA data in 2005, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 758 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Tobey first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1924, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2003: 85 births, good for #1,513 nationwide. About 29% of every Tobey on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Tobey ranks #7,606 for boys with 8 births, falling sharply (-18%). All told, over 2K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Tobey
Phonetically similar names — useful when Tobey is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tobey
What does the name Tobey mean?
How popular is Tobey in 2026?
When was Tobey most popular?
In which U.S. states is Tobey most popular?
Is Tobey a unisex name?
What names go well with Tobey?
About the name Tobey
Tobey is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1924 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Tobey's peak popularity came in 2003 when it ranked #1,159. Use the chart and map above to compare Tobey's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2003 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.