Timothy

Did you know?

A few things about Timothy you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Timothy

Timothy Dalton

British actor of stage, film and television

Choose Timothy and your child shares a first name with Timothy Dalton, a British actor of stage, film and television. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Timothy, like who?” Timothy Dalton's Wikipedia article is available in 75 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Timothy Dalton on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Molendijk, Bart / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 985 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Timothy, 1,734 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Timothy would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryTimothy has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Timothys, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1967, when it ranked #11. Today it's #203, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowTimothy was 3.6× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 270 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 985.
• 📍Where it's lovedTimothy is most popular in Mississippi, where it ranks #79, followed by Alabama (#120) and South Carolina (#120). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Timothy means “honoring God”. Our records link it to English, Gaelic and Greek roots.
• 🌍OriginTimothy is the #10 most popular Gaelic boy name in the US. That's out of 297 Gaelic boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Timothy

Timothy is a boy name of English, Gaelic and Greek origin meaning “honoring God”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with T and ending in “-thy”. US birth records list Timothy for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked #11 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #203, with 1,734 babies.

Origin:English namesGaelic namesGreek names