Editor’s note: This post was originally published on June 24, 2010. It was substantially revised and re-posted on August 19, 2013.
He’s a study in contrasts – Biblical and apocryphal, superhero and geek. He’s been steadily on the rise in recent years, and now a popular series of novels could encourage more of us to use this name.
Thanks to Fran and Francis for suggesting Tobias as our Baby Name of the Day, and C in DC for suggesting the update!
This post originally started out with the Bible, but in 2013, we need to begin with another book.
Divergent.
Veronica Roth’s novel is about a dark future world, set in Chicago. Beatrice is coming of age, and that’s a very specific and scary experience in her world. The heroine is known as Tris, and her love interest is called Four – but his real name is Tobias.
Divergent is the first book in a trilogy, and now a film adaptation is coming in March 2014. It could be Hunger Games-level huge.
But Tobias first appeared in a very different book. If you’re Catholic, you’ll recognize him from the Book of Tobit. The Protestants, however, exclude this book from their Bible.
The tale is set in the eight century BC, in Nineveh. Tobit is father to Tobias; both names are derived from the element tobih – my good. The book involves travel and marriage and demon-wrestling. The angel Raphael secretly assists Tobias as he completes his tasks. Renaissance artists were inspired by the story – see the artwork above.
You’ll find a handful of men named Tobias throughout the centuries, including a fourth century saint.
But let’s talk about Toby. While Tobias has never ranked higher than #472, and today stands at a relatively obscure #515, Toby fared well in the 1970s, peaking at #190 in 1975. In 2009, he came in at a distant #670.
Together they make for a familiar choice:
- Fictional bearers of the name have included a notable television trio, characters in The Office, Arrested Development, and The West Wing.
- The baby brother stolen by goblins in 1986’s Labyrinth was called Toby, as was the child actor who played the part.
- There’s also Tobin, sometimes listed as a pet form of Tobias and sometimes viewed as a separate surname related to the Irish Tóibín, derived from place name Saint Aubin in Brittany.
- Toby has also taken a turn as a girl’s name, probably thanks to Toby Wing. Miss Wing – born Martha – was well-known in the 1930s, and even rated a star on Hollywood Boulevard.
Say Toby today, and you might think of:
- Tobey Maguire, born Tobias, the actor also known as Peter Parker and his alter ego, Spider-Man
- Country music superstar Toby Keith.
- Author Tobias Wolff, whose 1989 memoir This Boy’s Life was adapted for the big screen in 1993, with Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead.
Overall, Tobias as one of those names that is familiar and nicely quirky, too. You won’t stun anyone by choosing Tobias for your son, but he’s still something of a surprise. If you’re after a scholarly appellation with some spirit, Tobias and Toby could be the choice for you.
I’ve recently become obsessed with Toby, just Toby. I think it’s one of those nickname names that has enough oomph to stand alone! Sure, maybe it’s been used for girls, but it’s got this really friendly boy-next-door kind of vibe about it that I really love. Tobias is fine, but it sounds too much like Eliza, my girl favorite, to really ever work for me – plus, Toby versus Tobias? Friendly, yet slightly jaunty Toby always wins for me! He’s a little bit preppy, a lot perky, and even maybe a little pretty. Ideal.
I was just noticing that several of my favorites are technically nicknames! Eliza, Toby, and Jude. When you think of those as shortened forms of Elizabeth, Tobias, and Judah, you have a very different set, huh? I like “my” slightly casual, more approachable, but still quite classic set, personally, though I can’t say anything bad about the longer forms!
Believe it or not, the first association I have with Tobias is a rather round black and white piebald unicorn from a book series that I was fond of when I was little. It brings warm fuzzy feelings to this name for me 🙂
I love Tobias for a name. Tobit is my favourite book in the bible so its always held a special place for me. But then my sister pointed out it would be a good name for a gay prostitute (to buy ass) and its kinda tainted it. Now i’m moving toward Tobiah. Its a little bit more rare, but still has the same feel to it. Now i just need to convince my husband.
I honestly don’t associate Tobias with Catholicism at all. I live in a culturally Catholic country and Tobias is has never been common – in fact, like most Old Testament names, it’s still scarcely used.
I think prefer just Toby – I tend to go for simpler English traditional forms over Latin or Biblical ones: Cecily over Cecilia, Lucy over Lucia, Jude over Judah, etc.
I like Tobias. It’s not my favorite ends-in-S boys’ name (and you know I have a thing for those ends-in-S boys’ names). But it’s nice.
I’ve actually met two little babies named Tobias recently. One was a newborn at church, and I’m not sure what his siblings were called. The other was the boy half of boy-girl twins: Tobias and Teagan.
While Tobias is not in the Protestant Bible, Tobiah is… he appears in the book of Nehemiah as a bad guy who tries to sabotage Nehemiah’s building of the wall around Jerusalem.
One other small screen Tobias worth mentioning is the FBI agent on NCIS. You’ve got to love those character names… Jethro and Tobias. Now wouldn’t those be handsome brothers?
I love Tobias! Great post. I love Tobin as a nn and Toby is growing on me. Thank you for covering it!
I like Tobias, but have nixed it for a son because I think Toni and Toby would be too much under one roof 😉
The first thing I think of when I hear it is Tobias Funke, cut off wearing, blue man wannabe, anal-rapist (analysist-therapist), never-nude character on Arrested Development.
Other than that association, it’s a lovely name 🙂
I really like Tobias / Toby. It’s on my list of favourites. Husband doesn’t like it though – he says Toby is a dog’s name. 🙁
It also gets bonus points from me for being one of the trains in ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’. (Although not such a cool looking one.)
I also like Tobin – but don’t think I could ever use it because it sounds like Toe-Bin and “bin” is the word I use for “trash can” so that makes it all icky sounding. 🙁
I had no idea that the name is in the Catholic Bible!
I think I like Toby better than Tobias, but Toby feels like it might need a ‘more formal’ version and then the ‘bias’ ending does sound a little too much like the word ‘biased’ to me.
I still really like the name though.
Tobias is kind of my “default” name. Whenever anyone spontaneously decides to name a squirrel or a frog or a stuffed animal or some other creature I nearly always say “Tobias!”, since it for some reason is the first name to pop into my head. I think it’s a decent name. Doesn’t stand out very much but isn’t very common either.