Tobi
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TOH-bee
- Origin
- Yoruba
- UK rank, 2025
- #882 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,582 for boys
Tobi is a boys' name of Yoruba origin, meaning “great”. In 2025 it ranked 882nd for boys in the UK (39 babies) and 3,582nd for boys in the US (31 babies).
What does Tobi mean?
Yoruba: short form of Oluwatobi; also a spelling of Toby
“great”
Often short for the Yoruba name Oluwatobi, God is great; it is also used as a spelling of Toby.
Is Tobi a girl's or a boy's name?
Tobi is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 39 boys in the UK and 13 girls and 31 boys in the US.
How popular is Tobi in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #882among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 39about 1 in 7,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 43% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 39 boys in the UK were named Tobi, making it the 882nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,052nd.
2025 had the most boys named Tobi of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Tobi in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2020. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 691 boys in the UK were given Tobi or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #92, up from #882 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 822nd in England and Wales.
Tobi in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 39 | #882 |
| 2024 | 23 | #1,263 |
| 2023 | 25 | #1,214 |
| 2022 | 24 | #1,229 |
| 2021 | 23 | #1,265 |
| 2020 | 11 | #2,052 |
| 2019 | 22 | #1,261 |
| 2018 | 28 | #1,098 |
| 2017 | 25 | #1,197 |
| 2016 | 18 | #1,512 |
| 2015 | 26 | #1,140 |
| 2014 | 32 | #991 |
| 2013 | 19 | #1,398 |
| 2012 | 19 | #1,405 |
| 2011 | 14 | #1,697 |
| 2010 | 18 | #1,452 |
| 2009 | 18 | #1,391 |
| 2008 | 22 | #1,210 |
| 2007 | 23 | #1,139 |
| 2006 | 16 | #1,369 |
| 2005 | 16 | #1,326 |
| 2004 | 7 | #2,157 |
| 2003 | 13 | #1,328 |
| 2002 | 10 | #1,490 |
| 2001 | 9 | #1,547 |
| 2000 | 6 | #1,977 |
| 1999 | 4 | #2,513 |
| 1998 | 5 | #2,170 |
| 1997 | 15 | #1,025 |
| 1996 | 15 | #979 |
How popular is Tobi in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,582among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 31about 1 in 55,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 69% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 31 boys in the US were named Tobi, making it the 3,582nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,694th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 36 boys. It first appears in the records in 1966. 13 girls were also named Tobi in 2025 (7,883rd for girls).
Half of all the boys named Tobi in the US since 1880 were born between 1988 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 273 boys in the US were given Tobi or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #817, up from #3,582 for this spelling alone.
In 1966, 89% of the babies named Tobi in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 30%, with more boys than girls since 2020.
Tobi in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31 | #3,582 |
| 2024 | 26 | #4,069 |
| 2023 | 36 | #3,291 |
| 2022 | 29 | #3,772 |
| 2021 | 25 | #4,114 |
| 2020 | 20 | #4,694 |
| 2019 | 16 | #5,551 |
| 2018 | 19 | #4,914 |
| 2017 | 10 | #7,542 |
| 2016 | 8 | #8,811 |
| 2015 | 18 | #5,056 |
| 2014 | 24 | #4,135 |
| 2013 | 19 | #4,801 |
| 2012 | 19 | #4,857 |
| 2011 | 12 | #6,572 |
| 2010 | 11 | #7,081 |
| 2009 | 13 | #6,432 |
| 2008 | 12 | #6,758 |
| 2007 | 9 | #8,169 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,455 |
| 2005 | 10 | #7,089 |
| 2004 | 7 | #8,921 |
| 2003 | 7 | #8,636 |
| 2002 | 5 | #10,660 |
| 2001 | 9 | #6,928 |
| 2000 | 13 | #5,290 |
| 1999 | 6 | #8,697 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,834 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 5 | #8,228 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 6 | #6,934 |
| 1988 | 11 | #4,157 |
| 1987 | 10 | #4,233 |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 8 | #4,591 |
| 1981 | 5 | #6,260 |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,523 |
| 1979 | 10 | #3,808 |
| 1978 | 8 | #4,155 |
| 1977 | 7 | #4,580 |
| 1976 | 15 | #2,708 |
| 1975 | 11 | #3,244 |
| 1974 | 12 | #2,944 |
| 1973 | 9 | #3,443 |
| 1972 | 11 | #2,989 |
| 1971 | 13 | #2,685 |
| 1970 | 9 | #3,280 |
| 1969 | 9 | #3,061 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 5 | #3,964 |
| 1966 | 7 | #3,247 |
Names like Tobi
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ali Eli Levi Theo Enzo Hudson Noah Grayson Albie Asher Jaxon Vinnie
Other spellings of Tobi
Names related to Tobi
More Yoruba names
Tiaraoluwa Ayomide Oluwadarasimi Oluwatamilore Ireoluwa Inioluwa Ifeoluwa Iremide Araoluwa Ayomikun Oluwanifemi Morayo Temiloluwa Obaloluwa Oluwatobiloba Oreoluwa
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Tobi: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tobi, updated 20 October 2026.