Tobias

Greek from Hebrew

"God is good"

Tobias Origin and Meaning

The name Tobias is a boy's name of Hebrew, Greek origin meaning "God is good".

Tobias is the Greek form of the Hebrew Tobiah, which was derived from the name Toviyah. Toviyah was created from the elements tov, meaning "good" and yah, representing the Hebrew God. Tobias is the name of several biblical figures but is primarily associated with the story of Tobias and the Angel.

Tobias is one of a number of s-ending boys' names that are riding a wave of popularity.

With its Old Testament-Dickensian feel, it's a name with a distinguished pedigree—Tobias Smollett, for instance, was a major eighteenth century Scottish novelist—that also has a modern feel. A contemporary bearer is Tobias Wolff, author of A Boy's Life. Tobias Snape, meanwhile, is a Harry Potter character.

The short form Toby has a life of its own, used independently at least as far back as Shakespeare's time, with Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. Toby also was the name of a character on The West Wing. Actor Tobey Maguire was born Tobias and named his son Otis Tobias.

There is also the rarely used but still viable daddy of them all, Tobiah, the name of a rebel Hebrew king.

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