Timothy
The story
Timothy is the Greek Timotheos, built from timao, to honor, and theos, god. The first Timothy was a young man from Lystra with a Greek father and a devout Jewish mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois, whom Paul praises by name. He became Paul's closest companion on the missionary roads, and the two letters Paul wrote him, tender and practical, sit in the New Testament under his name; tradition made him the first bishop of Ephesus. English speakers ignored the name until the Protestant Reformation put scripture in every hand. In America its rise was patient: barely used before the 1940s, cresting gently through the 1960s and 70s, easing back just as gently. A Timothy remains one of the few people who can open the Bible and find letters addressed to him.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Timothy peaked in the 1970s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
115 people · the #37,388 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 37
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Timothy
People given the name Timothy in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1960 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Timothy deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Timothy truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Timothy fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Timothy travels
Korean American · honoring God (a church classic often chosen by Korean American families)
Chinese American · a warm classic since mid-century
Keep exploring
Nicknames for Timothy · Korean American baby names · Chinese American baby names
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