Total births
1,084,192
Boys' name · since 1880
Timothy
1,084,192 babies named Timothy in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #206
- among boys today
- 1,084,192
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
1,084,192 babies have been named Timothy since 1880, making it today's #206 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Timothy recorded 1,084,192 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #206 nationally today, ahead of 99% of boys, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #206 among boys today
- 1,084,192 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 99% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Timothy is currently the #206 boys' name in America, more common than 99% of boys - 1,084,192 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #206
- among boys today
- 1,084,192
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Timothy vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#206
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Timothy was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
30,783 babies were named Timothy in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Timothy compares
1,084,192 Top 0% higher than 100% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Timothy's all-time total is 2,954x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Timothy | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,084,192 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 30,783 | 23 | 22,252 |
Timothy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Timothy's full recorded timeline at 1953, 91% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 9% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1903, with just 49 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1959 peak of 30,783 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Timothy at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1959
Current rank
#206
Active since
1880
Timothy popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 30,783
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Timothy popularity over time - girls
4,328 total births recorded since 1921 (Timothy as girls' name)
Timothy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Timothy's strongest decade.
276,837 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Timothy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 693
1880s
693 births
- 1890s 650
1890s
650 births
- 1900s 647
1900s
647 births
- 1910s 1,918
1910s
1,918 births
- 1920s 2,960
1920s
2,960 births
- 1930s 5,105
1930s
5,105 births
- 1940s 43,503
1940s
43,503 births
- 1950s
1950s
198,324 births
- 1960s
1960s
276,837 births
- 1970s
1970s
181,260 births
- 1980s
1980s
172,835 births
- 1990s 107,772
1990s
107,772 births
- 2000s 52,470
2000s
52,470 births
- 2010s 28,234
2010s
28,234 births
- 2020s 10,984
2020s
10,984 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 276,837 births (26% of all-time use).
How Timothy compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Timothy's total volume
Timothy vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Timothy by state
Where Timothy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 86,655 | 8.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 75,956 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 72,334 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 62,329 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 62,068 | 5.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 56,186 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Texas | | 44,655 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Florida | | 33,167 | 3.1% |
California share of Timothy's total US births 8.0%
Even split
86,655 of 1,084,192 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Timothy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Timothy? ▼
1,084,192 babies have been named Timothy since 1880. It currently ranks #206 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 30,783 births.
When was Timothy most popular? ▼
Timothy was most popular in the 1960s decade with 276,837 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Timothy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Timothy are California (86,655 births), New York (75,956 births), Ohio (72,334 births).
How long has the name Timothy been used? ▼
Timothy has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Timothy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Tim, Timmy, Timmothy, Timmie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Timothy's data
- Timothy's decade-level peak was the 1960s (276,837 total births); usage has since declined to 10,984 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Timothys (86,655 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Timothy
Nearby Names Like Timothy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Timothy
Tim Boy
#2505 83,358 births
Timmy Boy
#4925 25,755 births
Timmothy Boy
#12566 4,108 births
Timmie Boy
3,250 births
Timoteo Boy
#3008 1,473 births
Compare Timothy side by side: Timothy vs Tim Timothy vs Timmy Timothy vs Timmothy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Timothy
Alex #205
286,169 births · Peak 1993
Adonis #207
21,593 births · Peak 2023
Abraham #204
103,967 births · Peak 2016
Kaiden #208
52,562 births · Peak 2014
Messiah #203
27,064 births · Peak 2021
Knox #209
24,142 births · Peak 2022
Zayden #202
32,246 births · Peak 2014
Tate #210
27,400 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Timothy: #206 Boys' Name - 1,084,192 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/timothy. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Timothy draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.