| Tobias | Gideon | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is good | hewer, feller |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | toh-BY-us | GID-ee-un |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2016 (1,523) | 2017 (1,161) |
| In 2025 | 1,201 | 993 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Tobias | Gideon |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,443 | 6,236 |
| 2010s | 9,410 | 9,221 |
| 2000s | 4,811 | 3,460 |
| 1990s | 2,266 | 1,089 |
| 1980s | 1,807 | 704 |
| 1970s | 2,102 | 402 |
| 1960s | 576 | 207 |
| 1950s | 243 | 160 |
| 1940s | 160 | 120 |
| 1930s | 107 | 115 |
| 1920s | 155 | 226 |
| 1910s | 144 | 185 |
| 1900s | 37 | 40 |
| 1890s | 23 | 24 |
| 1880s | 38 | 81 |
From the Hebrew Toviyya, “God is good.”
From the Hebrew verb gada, 'to hew down, cut off,' hence 'hewer' or 'feller' — fitting the judge who cut down Baal's altar (Judges 6). The common 'mighty warrior' gloss is a secondary association from his role, not the meaning of the root; because no noun is formed from the verb, the exact nuance stays somewhat uncertain.
Tobias is more popular than Gideon today: about 1,201 US babies were given the name Tobias in 2025, compared with 993 named Gideon.
Tobias means God is good (Hebrew origin), while Gideon means hewer, feller (hebrew origin).
In US records, Tobias first appears in 1880 and Gideon in 1880, so Tobias has the longer recorded history.