Boy name · Greek
Timothy
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: honoring GodTimothy is a boy's name that comes from Greek and means "honoring God". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Honoring God
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #203 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Timothy
As a boy's name, Timothy comes from Greek and means "honoring God". It is used in English.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Timothy on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Timothy on 3 lists.
“Honoring God; Greek. Young companion of Paul”
From Biblical names, names from the Gospels and Acts
“A real name meaning honoring God, and a favorite grass hay”
From Bunny names, veggie and herb bunny names
“Honoring God; Greek. Paul's companion and letter recipient”
From Classic boy names, classic biblical boy names
How popular is Timothy?
- US rank in 2025
- #203
- 1,734 babies, 1,015 per million boys
- Best rank
- #11 in 1960
- Most babies: 30,783 in 1959
- Babies since 1880
- At least 1,084,192
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 633 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 570 per million |
| 1900s | 477 per million |
| 1910s | 287 per million |
| 1920s | 269 per million |
| 1930s | 483 per million |
| 1940s | 2,922 per million |
| 1950s | 9,810 per million |
| 1960s | 14,372 per million |
| 1970s | 10,975 per million |
| 1980s | 9,363 per million |
| 1990s | 5,533 per million |
| 2000s | 2,629 per million |
| 2010s | 1,502 per million |
| 2020s | 1,060 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #152 | #163 | #165 | #188 | #192 | #199 | #202 | #211 | #207 | #203 |
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.
Nicknames for Timothy
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Timcommon English nickname
- Timmycommon English nickname
Other forms of Timothy
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- TimHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimoHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimofeiHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimoteoHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimothéeHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TimotheosHonoring God (Greek, boy)
- TymoteuszHonoring God (Greek, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ArchanaHonoring, praising (Sanskrit, girl)
- DiotimaHonoring the god (Greek, girl)
- Jesús MaríaHonoring Jesus and Mary (Hebrew, boy)
- TimaShort form of Timofei, honoring God, or Timur, iron (Greek, boy)
- TimareteHonoring virtue (Greek, girl)
Middle names for Timothy
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter 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)
- PeterRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- SebastianMan of sebaste, venerable (Greek, boy)
Timothy: common questions
What does the name Timothy mean?
Timothy comes from Greek and means "honoring God".
Is Timothy a boy or girl name?
Timothy is mainly a boy's name.
What are nicknames for Timothy?
Common nicknames for Timothy include Tim and Timmy.
How popular is the name Timothy?
Timothy ranked #203 in the US in 2025, with 1,734 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Timothy?
Forms of Timothy with the same meaning and origin include Tim (English), Timo (German), Timofei (Russian), Timoteo (Spanish) and Timothée (French).
What middle names go with Timothy?
Middle names that flow well with Timothy include Cedar, Chase, Dean, Henry and Hugh. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.