# Toby (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/toby/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 1,548 |
| US rank (2010) | 18,028 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 199,448 people |
| Change since 2000 | +13% (1,376 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtoʊbi/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

The Middle English vernacular form of Tobias.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Toby in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 60% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 30% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 3.2% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Toby in the United States.

## People named Toby

- Ryan Toby, American Singer-Songwriter

## Similar surnames

Tobey, Tovey, Tapia, Tafoya, Tapp, Tabb, Taub, Topp, Thapa, Taff, Tebo, Taube.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.