Boy name · Greek
Tim
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: honoring GodTim is a boy's name that comes from Greek and means "honoring God". It is used in English, German and Dutch.
- Meaning
- Honoring God
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #3230 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Tim
As a boy's name, Tim comes from Greek and means "honoring God". It is used in English, German and Dutch.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Tim on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Tim on 1 list.
“MIT's mascot, whose name is the school spelled backward”
From Beaver names, famous beaver names
How popular is Tim?
- US rank in 2025
- #3,230
- 37 babies, 22 per million boys
- Best rank
- #60 in 1959
- Most babies: 6,931 in 1960
- Babies since 1880
- At least 83,358
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 127 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 116 per million |
| 1900s | 141 per million |
| 1910s | 68 per million |
| 1920s | 55 per million |
| 1930s | 130 per million |
| 1940s | 538 per million |
| 1950s | 1,098 per million |
| 1960s | 2,158 per million |
| 1970s | 321 per million |
| 1980s | 61 per million |
| 1990s | 34 per million |
| 2000s | 39 per million |
| 2010s | 31 per million |
| 2020s | 23 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,083 | #2,444 | #2,353 | #2,389 | #3,482 | #2,968 | #3,607 | #3,285 | #2,520 | #3,230 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Tim
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- TimaShort form of Timofei, honoring God, or Timur, iron (Greek, boy)
- TimoHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimofeiHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimoteoHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimothéeHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimotheosHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimothyHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TymoteuszHonoring God (Greek, boy)
Names spelled like Tim
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- TomA twin (Aramaic, boy)
- TamA twin (Aramaic, boy)
- TimurIron (Turkic, boy)
- TalDew, morning dew (Hebrew, unisex)
- TaoGreat waves (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- TianHeaven, sky (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- TillRuler of the people (Germanic, boy)
- TimonHonor (Greek, boy)
- ToméA twin (Aramaic, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ArchanaHonoring, praising (Sanskrit, girl)
- DiotimaHonoring the god (Greek, girl)
- Jesús MaríaHonoring Jesus and Mary (Hebrew, boy)
- TimareteHonoring virtue (Greek, girl)
Middle names for Tim
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Greek
- AlexanderDefender of men (Greek, boy)
- LucasMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- ChristianFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
- LeonA lion (Greek, boy)
- HectorHolding fast (Greek, boy)
- TheoGift of God (Greek, boy)
- AlexisHelper, defender (Greek, boy)
- LucaMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- SebastianMan of sebaste, venerable (Greek, boy)
- AlexDefender, protector (Greek, unisex)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- CyrilLordly (Greek, boy)
- FilipLover of horses (Greek, boy)
- KlausVictory of the people (Greek, boy)
- LinusFlax plant (Greek, boy)
- NarcisoNarcissus flower (Greek, boy)
- NicoVictory of the people (Greek, boy)
- StefanCrown, garland (Greek, boy)
Tim: common questions
What does the name Tim mean?
Tim comes from Greek and means "honoring God".
Is Tim a boy or girl name?
Tim is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Tim come from?
Tim comes from Greek and means "honoring God". Today it is used in English, German and Dutch.
How popular is the name Tim?
Tim ranked #3,230 in the US in 2025, with 37 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Tim?
Forms of Tim with the same meaning and origin include Tima (Russian), Timo (German), Timofei (Russian), Timoteo (Spanish) and Timothée (French).
What middle names go with Tim?
Middle names that flow well with Tim include Abraham, Alton, Bernard, Bradley and Everett. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

