ninan.org

Timothy

Boys' name · Mid-century perennial

Living in the US
~926,400 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#203 among boys
Births in 2025
1,734 1,088,520 since 1880
Typical age
52 years, median

Timothy popularity over time

Timothy rank by birth year, 1880–2025Timothy ranked #180 in 1880 and #203 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #11, in 1960.#10#100#203best #11 in 196018901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

1959 is the peak year for Timothy, with 30,862 births. The name is already in use in 1880, where the data begins. Across the record, 65 years put Timothy in the top 100.

As of 2025 the name sits at #203, with 1,734 births that year. Compared with 2015, births are down 38%.

Babies named Timothy per yearPeaks at 30,862 births in 1959.30,862 in 1959018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Timothy?

Roughly 926,400 Timothys are alive in the US right now. SSA has recorded 1,088,520 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Timothy?

Median age among living Timothys: 52. The 1960s produced the largest surviving cohort. By the site’s era rules that makes Timothy a mid-century perennial name.

Your Timothy

Ages of living people named TimothyHalf of living Timothys are older than 52 and half younger.median 52020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Timothy is most common

Alaska uses the name 3.1× as often as the country as a whole. Montana, Mississippi and New Hampshire follow.

Where Timothy is used more than average5 states use the name Timothy more than the national average.Alaska: 3.1× the national rateAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: 2.0× the national rateNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: 2.6× the national rateMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: not over-representedWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: 1.9× the national rateWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: 2.1× the national rateMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Timothy is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Alaska 84 3.1×
Montana 97 2.6×
Mississippi 274 2.1×
New Hampshire 95 2.0×
West Virginia 141 1.9×

Timothy in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Timothy ranked #418 in 2025 on 96 births.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Timothy comes from

From Middle French Timothée, from Latin Tīmotheus, from Ancient Greek Τῑμόθεος, from τῑμάω (“to honour”) + θεός (“god”).

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named Timothy

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Timothy Dalton British actor of stage, film and television 1946 75
Timothy Leary American psychologist 1920–1996 61
Timothy Hutton American actor and director 1960 57
Timothy Spall English actor 1957 53
Timothy Olyphant American actor 1968 49
Timothy Snyder American historian 1969 49
Timothy McVeigh American domestic anti-government terrorist 1968–2001 47
Timothy Weah American soccer player 2000 46
Photo credits (7)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 439 in 1936 to 674 in 1937 — 1.5 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/timothy.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).