Thirty years of Toby
Toby in numbers
Toby peaked in 2007 with 1,477 boys and has fallen since, to 600 in 2025. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2000 and 2003, from 716 to 1,200. It ranked 77th in 1996, reached 42nd in 2014 and ranks 89th now. On average it was given to 759 boys a year in the late 1990s, 1,210 in the 2000s, 1,326 in the 2010s and 782 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-3%621 to 600
- 5 years-39%980 to 600
- 10 years-56%1,363 to 600
- 20 years-56%1,374 to 600
- Since 1996-21%761 to 600
- Total, 1996 to 202533,082boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 89 · ONS · 621 in 2024
Rank 226 · NRS · 17 in 2024
Rank 126 · NISRA · 17 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 89 | 600 | -3% | 1 in 501 |
| 2024 | 86 | 621 | -8% | 1 in 491 |
| 2023 | =76 | 678 | -24% | 1 in 447 |
| 2022 | 63 | 893 | -3% | 1 in 348 |
| 2021 | 66 | 918 | -6% | 1 in 349 |
| 2020 | 62 | 980 | -11% | 1 in 321 |
| 2019 | 61 | 1,104 | -6% | 1 in 298 |
| 2018 | 57 | 1,178 | -10% | 1 in 287 |
| 2017 | 47 | 1,316 | -6% | 1 in 264 |
| 2016 * | 46 | 1,400 | +3% | 1 in 254 |
| 2015 | 44 | 1,363 | +1% | 1 in 263 |
| 2014 | 42 | 1,352 | -6% | 1 in 264 |
| 2013 | 44 | 1,431 | +2% | 1 in 250 |
| 2012 | 49 | 1,398 | +1% | 1 in 268 |
| 2011 | 51 | 1,389 | +4% | 1 in 267 |
| 2010 | 54 | 1,330 | +4% | 1 in 279 |
| 2009 | 57 | 1,284 | -7% | 1 in 282 |
| 2008 | 54 | 1,382 | -6% | 1 in 263 |
| 2007 | 52 | 1,477 | +6% | 1 in 240 |
| 2006 | 52 | 1,388 | +1% | 1 in 247 |
| 2005 | 48 | 1,374 | +5% | 1 in 241 |
| 2004 | 50 | 1,304 | +9% | 1 in 252 |
| 2003 | 51 | 1,200 | +15% | 1 in 265 |
| 2002 | 58 | 1,047 | +13% | 1 in 292 |
| 2001 | 63 | 924 | +29% | 1 in 330 |
| 2000 | 75 | 716 | -4% | 1 in 432 |
| 1999 | 77 | 743 | -3% | 1 in 430 |
| 1998 | 77 | 769 | +1% | 1 in 424 |
| 1997 | 78 | 762 | +0% | 1 in 432 |
| 1996 | 77 | 761 | 1 in 438 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Toby
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Toby is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Toby is in our lists: Short baby names.