Fun Facts About the Name Tim
- More than 83 thousand babies named Tim: U.S. records list 83,552 babies given the name Tim from 1880 through 2025. Even 188 girls received the name Tim - about 1 girl for every 443 boys.
What Does the Name Tim Mean?
Tim is an English short form of Timothy, which comes from the Greek name Timotheos. That Greek name joins timē, meaning "honor" or "worth," with theos, meaning "god," and is customarily understood as "honoring God." Because the two parts can be read in different directions, some reference works give the sense "honored by God," but "honoring God" is the usual interpretation.
Tim is also a given name in its own right in German and Dutch, where it is traced to Timotheus, the German form of Timothy. These are not separate origins; the same Greek name lies behind the short form in each language. Tim is not related to similar-sounding names such as Timo or Timur.
Tim Name History & Origins
The Greek name Timotheos was in use in the centuries around the beginning of the Christian era. It appears in the New Testament, where Timothy is a companion and co-worker of the apostle Paul, and two New Testament letters are addressed to him. Through early Christianity the name spread into Latin as Timotheus and then into the languages of Europe, giving French Timothée, Italian and Spanish Timoteo, German Timotheus, and Russian Timofei.
The short form Tim developed from the longer name in English-speaking countries, where it became an independent given name in the 20th century. It remains the everyday form of Timothy and is also used by itself. In the Netherlands and Flanders, Tim is common as a full given name rather than a nickname, and in German it serves both as a short form of Timotheus and as a name used on its own.
One well-known literary use of the short form is Tiny Tim, the child in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843); the book does not spell out his full given name, which is generally taken to be Timothy. Tim the Enchanter appears in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. These are uses of an existing name rather than its source.
How Popular is the Name Tim?
Tim recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1960. Tim entered the top 100 U.S. boy names in 1958.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | #10,782 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #10,491 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #9,550 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #5,967 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #3,857 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1969 | #5,421 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #5,607 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #5,998 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #5,241 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #3,531 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1964 | #4,331 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #7,568 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #4,511 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #3,777 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #3,669 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1959 | #3,604 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1958 | #4,864 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #3,675 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1954 | #6,552 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #6,033 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #4,632 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,230 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 2024 | #2,514 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2023 | #3,282 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 2022 | #3,604 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2021 | #2,968 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2020 | #3,482 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #2,389 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 2018 | #2,352 | 57 | 0.0031% |
| 2017 | #2,444 | 53 | 0.0029% |
| 2016 | #2,083 | 68 | 0.0036% |
| 2015 | #2,228 | 61 | 0.0032% |
| 2014 | #1,942 | 75 | 0.0039% |
| 2013 | #2,455 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 2012 | #2,901 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2011 | #2,585 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 2010 | #2,094 | 65 | 0.0034% |
| 2009 | #2,031 | 69 | 0.0035% |
| 2008 | #2,026 | 70 | 0.0034% |
| 2007 | #1,873 | 77 | 0.0037% |
| 2006 | #1,786 | 78 | 0.0038% |
| 2005 | #1,633 | 84 | 0.0042% |
| 2004 | #2,019 | 60 | 0.0030% |
| 2003 | #1,491 | 88 | 0.0045% |
| 2002 | #1,569 | 79 | 0.0041% |
| 2001 | #1,513 | 81 | 0.0042% |
| 2000 | #1,388 | 91 | 0.0046% |
| 1999 | #1,529 | 74 | 0.0039% |
| 1998 | #1,696 | 61 | 0.0032% |
| 1997 | #1,728 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 1996 | #1,613 | 61 | 0.0032% |
| 1995 | #1,753 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 1994 | #1,418 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 1993 | #1,471 | 64 | 0.0033% |
| 1992 | #1,288 | 78 | 0.0039% |
| 1991 | #1,381 | 68 | 0.0034% |
| 1990 | #1,268 | 77 | 0.0037% |
| 1989 | #1,071 | 96 | 0.0048% |
| 1988 | #1,031 | 92 | 0.0048% |
| 1987 | #1,053 | 83 | 0.0044% |
| 1986 | #1,086 | 75 | 0.0041% |
| 1985 | #905 | 101 | 0.0055% |
| 1984 | #792 | 122 | 0.0068% |
| 1983 | #895 | 97 | 0.0054% |
| 1982 | #749 | 139 | 0.0077% |
| 1981 | #681 | 162 | 0.0090% |
| 1980 | #677 | 165 | 0.0092% |
| 1979 | #707 | 148 | 0.0086% |
| 1978 | #526 | 246 | 0.0150% |
| 1977 | #521 | 254 | 0.0155% |
| 1976 | #460 | 291 | 0.0185% |
| 1975 | #436 | 327 | 0.0209% |
| 1974 | #382 | 410 | 0.0261% |
| 1973 | #328 | 523 | 0.0336% |
| 1972 | #266 | 733 | 0.0452% |
| 1971 | #226 | 1,049 | 0.0593% |
| 1970 | #199 | 1,323 | 0.0712% |
| 1969 | #181 | 1,545 | 0.0864% |
| 1968 | #139 | 2,073 | 0.1193% |
| 1967 | #116 | 2,624 | 0.1505% |
| 1966 | #103 | 3,141 | 0.1761% |
| 1965 | #97 | 3,718 | 0.1999% |
| 1964 | #82 | 4,696 | 0.2357% |
| 1963 | #79 | 5,017 | 0.2470% |
| 1962 | #71 | 5,586 | 0.2700% |
| 1961 | #65 | 6,249 | 0.2942% |
| 1960 | #60 | 6,931 | 0.3251% |
| 1959 | #60 | 6,828 | 0.3199% |
| 1958 | #74 | 5,536 | 0.2608% |
| 1957 | #120 | 3,251 | 0.1507% |
| 1956 | #174 | 1,718 | 0.0812% |
| 1955 | #212 | 1,143 | 0.0555% |
| 1954 | #244 | 815 | 0.0400% |
| 1953 | #254 | 744 | 0.0377% |
| 1952 | #260 | 696 | 0.0358% |
| 1951 | #250 | 715 | 0.0380% |
| 1950 | #242 | 754 | 0.0421% |
| 1949 | #201 | 1,007 | 0.0568% |
| 1948 | #171 | 1,296 | 0.0739% |
| 1947 | #170 | 1,330 | 0.0727% |
| 1946 | #171 | 1,134 | 0.0698% |
| 1945 | #192 | 779 | 0.0579% |
| 1944 | #229 | 605 | 0.0444% |
| 1943 | #233 | 618 | 0.0433% |
| 1942 | #264 | 512 | 0.0371% |
| 1941 | #296 | 388 | 0.0316% |
| 1940 | #308 | 333 | 0.0287% |
| 1939 | #362 | 245 | 0.0221% |
| 1938 | #337 | 270 | 0.0243% |
| 1937 | #441 | 162 | 0.0152% |
| 1936 | #490 | 134 | 0.0129% |
| 1935 | #500 | 131 | 0.0126% |
| 1934 | #554 | 114 | 0.0110% |
| 1933 | #576 | 101 | 0.0102% |
| 1932 | #656 | 87 | 0.0083% |
| 1931 | #727 | 72 | 0.0069% |
| 1930 | #839 | 61 | 0.0056% |
| 1929 | #732 | 74 | 0.0069% |
| 1928 | #977 | 50 | 0.0045% |
| 1927 | #847 | 64 | 0.0057% |
| 1926 | #824 | 65 | 0.0059% |
| 1925 | #868 | 60 | 0.0054% |
| 1924 | #884 | 62 | 0.0055% |
| 1923 | #844 | 65 | 0.0059% |
| 1922 | #1,019 | 49 | 0.0045% |
| 1921 | #961 | 54 | 0.0049% |
| 1920 | #851 | 64 | 0.0060% |
| 1919 | #887 | 57 | 0.0058% |
| 1918 | #802 | 67 | 0.0066% |
| 1917 | #931 | 48 | 0.0052% |
| 1916 | #838 | 56 | 0.0063% |
| 1915 | #1,014 | 40 | 0.0047% |
| 1914 | #696 | 55 | 0.0084% |
| 1913 | #788 | 37 | 0.0072% |
| 1912 | #723 | 36 | 0.0084% |
| 1911 | #665 | 23 | 0.0102% |
| 1910 | #478 | 34 | 0.0175% |
| 1909 | #472 | 30 | 0.0183% |
| 1908 | #564 | 21 | 0.0136% |
| 1907 | #586 | 19 | 0.0129% |
| 1906 | #639 | 15 | 0.0113% |
| 1905 | #546 | 19 | 0.0144% |
| 1904 | #642 | 14 | 0.0109% |
| 1903 | #398 | 25 | 0.0210% |
| 1902 | #520 | 18 | 0.0147% |
| 1901 | #852 | 8 | 0.0075% |
| 1900 | #516 | 22 | 0.0146% |
| 1899 | #577 | 13 | 0.0122% |
| 1898 | #659 | 12 | 0.0098% |
| 1897 | #935 | 7 | 0.0062% |
| 1896 | #587 | 14 | 0.0117% |
| 1895 | #554 | 15 | 0.0128% |
| 1894 | #849 | 8 | 0.0069% |
| 1893 | #431 | 19 | 0.0169% |
| 1892 | #636 | 12 | 0.0098% |
| 1891 | #473 | 15 | 0.0148% |
| 1890 | #455 | 17 | 0.0153% |
| 1889 | #521 | 14 | 0.0127% |
| 1888 | #697 | 10 | 0.0083% |
| 1887 | #406 | 18 | 0.0177% |
| 1886 | #508 | 14 | 0.0126% |
| 1885 | #477 | 16 | 0.0148% |
| 1884 | #485 | 16 | 0.0140% |
| 1883 | #457 | 16 | 0.0153% |
| 1882 | #607 | 11 | 0.0097% |
| 1881 | #531 | 12 | 0.0119% |
| 1880 | #563 | 12 | 0.0109% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
