Unisex name · since 1882
Toby
34,846 babies named Toby in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1975. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #620 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #978 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,846
- born since 1882
- 1970s
- peak decade
34,846 babies have been named Toby since 1882, making it today's #978 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Toby recorded 34,846 times among boys since 1882, holding rank #978 nationally today, ahead of 93% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #620 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #978 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 34,846 born since 1882
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Toby ranks #620 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #978 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 34,846 born since 1882, peaking in the 1970s.
- #620 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #978 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,846
- born since 1882
- 1970s
- peak decade
Toby's 34,846 recorded births place it above 98.63% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Toby compares
34,846 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 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
Toby's all-time total is 94x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Toby | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 34,846 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,191 | 34 | 22,252 |
Toby's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Toby's SSA record in two at 1964 and the more recent half accounts for 83% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 17%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1975 peak of 1,191, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Toby popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1975)
- 1,191
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Toby popularity over time - girls
8,387 total births recorded since 1902 (Toby as girls' name)
Toby by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (9,884 births, 28% of the file).
1970s was Toby's strongest decade.
9,884 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Toby births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 10
1880s
10 births
- 1890s 6
1890s
6 births
- 1900s 32
1900s
32 births
- 1910s 163
1910s
163 births
- 1920s 253
1920s
253 births
- 1930s 501
1930s
501 births
- 1940s 1,240
1940s
1,240 births
- 1950s 2,124
1950s
2,124 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,359 births
- 1970s
1970s
9,884 births
- 1980s 3,759
1980s
3,759 births
- 1990s 3,127
1990s
3,127 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,855 births
- 2010s 3,403
2010s
3,403 births
- 2020s 1,130
2020s
1,130 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 9,884 births (28% of all-time use).
How Toby 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 Toby's total volume
Toby by state
Where Toby concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,438 | 9.9% |
| #2 | California | | 2,817 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 1,596 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,300 | 3.7% |
| #5 | New York | | 1,195 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Louisiana | | 1,158 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Indiana | | 1,139 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 1,125 | 3.2% |
3,438 of 34,846 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Toby appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Toby? ▼
Where does Toby sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Toby most popular? ▼
Where is Toby most popular? ▼
Is Toby a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Toby been used? ▼
What names are similar to Toby? ▼
What to do with Toby's data
- Toby's decade-level peak was the 1970s (9,884 total births); usage has since declined to 1,130 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Tobys (3,438 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Toby
Nearby Names Like Toby
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Toby
Compare Toby side by side: Toby vs Tobias Toby vs Tobin Toby vs Tobey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Toby
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Toby: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1975)
Similar record span (~143 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Toby 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 August 2026.