Timothy
Top 1000
About Timothy
A second-tier classic, the New Testament Timothy moves in and out of fashion more than John and James. But though it peaked in the 1960s, many modern parents still appreciate its familiarity and lively rhythm. And the short form Tim feels eternally boyish.
Saint Timothy, born of a Jewish mother and a Greek father, was Saint Paul's companion, which might make the two appropriate and compatible twin names. Timothy was well used among early Christians but not popular in the English-speaking world until the eighteenth century. In the U.S., Timothy was just outside the Top 10 in the 1960s and stayed in the Top 100 until 2008.
In literature, there is the unforgettable Timothy Cratchit, aka Tiny Tim. In real life, there are director Tim Burton and several well-known actors, as well as a slew of star athletes.
Timothy also qualifies as a botanical name thanks to Timothy grass sometimes known simply as Timothy, which resembles cat's-tail and is used as cattle feed.
As of October 2026, Timothy ranked #203 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #11 in 1960, Nameberry popularity #593.
Editor's take: The name Timothy is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "honoring God".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #134 | 3,011 | 1,567.5 |
| 2015 | #147 | 2,801 | 1,461.3 |
| 2016 | #152 | 2,672 | 1,408 |
| 2017 | #163 | 2,418 | 1,306.4 |
| 2018 | #165 | 2,355 | 1,296.7 |
| 2019 | #188 | 2,092 | 1,166 |
| 2020 | #193 | 2,010 | 1,164.5 |
| 2021 | #199 | 1,921 | 1,098 |
| 2022 | #202 | 1,844 | 1,056.1 |
| 2023 | #211 | 1,742 | 1,018.4 |
| 2024 | #208 | 1,708 | 991.4 |
| 2025 | #203 | 1,734 | 1,015.2 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Timothy.
- Stephen
- Robert
- Paul
- John
- Richard
- David
- Joseph
- Martin
- Christopher
- Philip
- Jonathan
- Anthony
- Eric
- Mark
- Peter
- Patrick
- Michael
- Adam
- Gregory
- Nicholas
Timothy on lists
Famous Timothys
- Saint Timothy
bishop of Ephesus
- Timothy I
III of Alexandria, popes
- Timothy James 'Tim' Curry
English actor and singer
- Timothy David Olyphant
American actor
- Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow
American football player
- Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine
American politician; governor of Virginia
- Timothy Peter Dalton
Welsh actor
- Timothy Lancaster West
English actor
- Timothy Francis Leary
American psychologist and LSD advocate
- Timothy Tarquin Hutton
American actor
- Timothy Leonard Spall
English actor
- Timothy Michael Omundson
American actor
- Timothy Alan Dick
birth name of American actor Tim Allen
- Timothy Leroy "Tim" Lincecum
American baseball pitcher
- Timothy Bruce Schmit
bassist for American bands Poco and The Eagles
- Timothy Franz Geithner
former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
- Timothy Zahn
American science fiction novelist
- Timothy John "Tim" Berners
Lee, English inventor of the World Wide Web
- Timothy Busfield
American actor
- Timothy James Bottoms
American actor
- Timothy Dingwall Bateson
English actor
- Timothy I
Nestorian patriarch of the Church of the East
- Timothy Michael "Tim" Healy
Irish politician
- Timothy F. "Tim" LaHaye
American Christian novelist
- Timothy Perry Shriver
American Special Olympics chairman
- Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch
English actor
- Timothy Mark Pimentel Eigenmann
birth name of Sid Lucero, Filipino actor
- Timothy Kane "Tim" Sheehy
American ice hockey player
- Timothy Alan Davan Sainsbury
English businessman and politician
- Timothy Richard 'Tim' Heidecker
American comedian known for comedy duo "Tim and Eric"
- Timothy Matthew Howard “Tim”
American soccer player
- Timothy Melia “Tim”
American soccer player
Timothy in pop culture
- 1 & 2 Timothy
epistles in the New Testament
- Timothy "Timmy" Turner
main character of animated series "Fairly Odd Parents"
- "The Odd Life of Timothy Green
" 2012 movie and main character
- Timothy
main character in "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor
- Timothy McGee
character from TV show "NCIS"
- "Timothy Goes to School
" animated series about a raccoon
- Timothy Q. Mouse
character in Disney's "Dumbo"
- Timothy Lovejoy
reverend on TV's "The Simpsons"
- Timothy
tank engine on animated series "Thomas & Friends"
- "Timothy
" song by The Buoys
- Timothy's World Coffee
Canadian chain
- Timothy
common species of grass
- Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake
formerly known as Robin, sidekick DC Comic's Batman, currently known as Red Robin
- Timothy
character in The Fosters
- Timothy Kreider
character in the webcomic "Riverside Extras" by Miri Chamberlain
- Timothy "Tim" Riggins
character in Friday Night Lights
- Timothy Wright
full name of Masky from Marble Hornets
- Timothy "Tim" Stoker
bisexual icon on "The Magnus Archives"
Variations & nicknames
- TiriroRussian
- TimokRussian
- TimotHungarian
- TyomaRussian
- TimoteoSpanish
- TimotheosGreek
- TishaRussian
- TymekPolish
- TimoteusNorwegian
- TimunGreek
- TimoFinnish
- TimothéFrench
- TimofelRussian
- TimofeyRussian
- TimothéeFrench
- TimkaRussian
- TimonFrench
- TimaRussian
- TimoteiBulgarian
- TymonPolish
- TimotheusGerman
- TiomoidIrish
- TimitoSpanish
- TymoteuszPolish
- TeemofeRussian
- TishkaRussian
More nicknames
- Tim
- Timmy