| Ari | Tobias | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | lion | God is good |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AH-ree | toh-BY-us |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1958 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2022 (1,030) | 2016 (1,523) |
| In 2025 | 808 | 1,201 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ari | Tobias |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5,363 | 7,443 |
| 2010s | 7,111 | 9,410 |
| 2000s | 3,436 | 4,811 |
| 1990s | 1,667 | 2,266 |
| 1980s | 1,267 | 1,807 |
| 1970s | 1,259 | 2,102 |
| 1960s | 467 | 576 |
| 1950s | 22 | 243 |
| 1940s | 0 | 160 |
| 1930s | 0 | 107 |
| 1920s | 0 | 155 |
| 1910s | 0 | 144 |
| 1900s | 0 | 37 |
| 1890s | 0 | 23 |
| 1880s | 0 | 38 |
From Hebrew ari (also aryeh), 'lion.' A short modern Hebrew name; distinct from the theophoric Ariel ('lion of God'). A concrete noun — its strength associations are connotation, not etymology.
From the Hebrew Toviyya, “God is good.”
Tobias is more popular than Ari today: about 1,201 US babies were given the name Tobias in 2025, compared with 808 named Ari.
Ari means lion (hebrew origin), while Tobias means God is good (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Ari first appears in 1958 and Tobias in 1880, so Tobias has the longer recorded history.