Toby is the English short form of Tobias, the Greek version of the Hebrew Tobiah, meaning "God is good" or "Yahweh is good". It has been an independent name since the Middle Ages, when Toby was the dog in Punch and Judy shows; Americans know it from country singer Toby Keith and Toby Flenderson of The Office. Toby peaked at number 429 in 2004, spent several years just outside the US top 1000 and is back at number 979 among boys' names in 2025.