Scottish writer Tobias Smollett (1721–71), painted ca. 1770
Tobias is the Greek form of Hebrew names Toviyahu and Toviyah (God is good). Besides Greek, this form of the name is also used in English, German, Slovak, Portuguese, and the Scandinavian languages. The alternate form Tobiáš (To-bee-AHSH) is Czech; Tóbiás (same pronunciation) is Hungarian; Tobías is Spanish, Catalan, and Galician; and Tóbías is Icelandic.
Though the name only enjoys modest popularity in the U.S. (#275 in 2018, with a high of #246 in 2016), it’s much more popular in Austria (#10), Norway (#17), the Czech Republic (#24 as of 2016), The Netherlands (#50), England and Wales (#98).
Tobias enjoys the most sustained popularity of all in Austria. It started at #39 in 1990 and jumped into the Top 10 in 2000, at #9. The name was #3 from 2002–04, #2 from 2005–09, #4 from 2010–12, and #1 in 2013. It’s been in the Top 10 for almost twenty years.
Brazilian poet, philosopher, literary critic, and jurist Tobias Barreto de Meneses, 1839–89
Other forms of this lovely name include:
1. Tobiasz is Polish.
2. Topias is Finnish. One of the nicknames is Topi.
3. Tobia is Italian.
4. Tobiah is an alternative, old-fashioned Hebrew transliteration.
5. Tuviyah, Tuviah, Tuvya, or Tuvia is modern Hebrew.
6. Tevye is Yiddish. Probably everyone knows this name as the protagonist of Fiddler on the Roof!
7. Tobie is French.
8. Tobies is a rare Catalan form.
9. Tobit is Amharic. This is also the title character of a book of the Bible.
10. Tobejas is Sami.
Polish-Belarusian partisan hero Tuvia Bielski, who together with his three brothers saved over 1,200 people from the Nazis (1906–87); image used to illustrate subject under fair use rationale
11. Thobias is a Scandinavian variant.
12. Tobiasi is Kven, a Finnic language spoken in northern Norway.
13. Tobiôsz is Kashubian.
14. Tobyś is Vilamovian.
15. Tovias is a rare modern Greek form.
16. Toviya is Russian.
17. Tovija is Serbian.
18. Tobija is Slovenian.
19. Toby is English. This is also sometimes used as a female name.
20. Toviy is Russian.
Polish-Israeli Nazi-hunter Tuviah Friedman, 1922–2011
Female forms:
1. Tobina is a rare Swedish form.
2. Tobia is also a rare Swedish form.
Onomastics Outside the Box 