Timothy

Greek
"honoring God"

Timothy Origin and Meaning

The name Timothy is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "honoring God".

A second-tier classic, the New Testament Timothy moves in and out of fashion more than John and James. But though it peaked in the 1960s, many modern parents still appreciate its familiarity and lively rhythm. And the short form Tim feels eternally boyish.

Saint Timothy, born of a Jewish mother and a Greek father, was Saint Paul's companion, which might make the two appropriate and compatible twin names. Timothy was well used among early Christians but not popular in the English-speaking world until the eighteenth century. In the U.S., Timothy was just outside the Top 10 in the 1960s and stayed in the Top 100 until 2008.

In literature, there is the unforgettable Timothy Cratchit, aka Tiny Tim. In real life, there are director Tim Burton and several well-known actors, as well as a slew of star athletes.

Timothy also qualifies as a botanical name thanks to Timothy grass sometimes known simply as Timothy, which resembles cat's-tail and is used as cattle feed.

# 211 in the US

Timothy Rank in US Top 1000

# 579 on Nameberry

Timothy Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Timothy Popularity

Famous People Named Timothy

  • Saint Timothy
    bishop of Ephesus
  • Timothy I
    III of Alexandria, popes
  • Timothy James 'Tim' Curry
    English actor and singer
  • Timothy David Olyphant
    American actor
  • Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow
    American football player
  • Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine
    American politician; governor of Virginia
  • Timothy Peter Dalton
    Welsh actor
  • Timothy Lancaster West
    English actor
  • Timothy Francis Leary
    American psychologist and LSD advocate
  • Timothy Tarquin Hutton
    American actor
  • Timothy Leonard Spall
    English actor
  • Timothy Michael Omundson
    American actor
  • Timothy Alan Dick
    birth name of American actor Tim Allen
  • Timothy Leroy "Tim" Lincecum
    American baseball pitcher
  • Timothy Bruce Schmit
    bassist for American bands Poco and The Eagles
  • Timothy Franz Geithner
    former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
  • Timothy Zahn
    American science fiction novelist
  • Timothy John "Tim" Berners
    Lee, English inventor of the World Wide Web
  • Timothy Busfield
    American actor
  • Timothy James Bottoms
    American actor
  • Timothy Dingwall Bateson
    English actor
  • Timothy I
    Nestorian patriarch of the Church of the East
  • Timothy Michael "Tim" Healy
    Irish politician
  • Timothy F. "Tim" LaHaye
    American Christian novelist
  • Timothy Perry Shriver
    American Special Olympics chairman
  • Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch
    English actor
  • Timothy Mark Pimentel Eigenmann
    birth name of Sid Lucero, Filipino actor
  • Timothy Kane "Tim" Sheehy
    American ice hockey player
  • Timothy Alan Davan Sainsbury
    English businessman and politician
  • Timothy Richard 'Tim' Heidecker
    American comedian known for comedy duo "Tim and Eric"
  • Timothy Matthew Howard “Tim”
    American soccer player
  • Timothy Melia “Tim”
    American soccer player

Timothy in Pop Culture

  • 1 & 2 Timothy
    epistles in the New Testament
  • Timothy "Timmy" Turner
    main character of animated series "Fairly Odd Parents"
  • "The Odd Life of Timothy Green
    " 2012 movie and main character
  • Timothy
    main character in "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor
  • Timothy McGee
    character from TV show "NCIS"
  • "Timothy Goes to School
    " animated series about a raccoon
  • Timothy Q. Mouse
    character in Disney's "Dumbo"
  • Timothy Lovejoy
    reverend on TV's "The Simpsons"
  • Timothy
    tank engine on animated series "Thomas & Friends"
  • "Timothy
    " song by The Buoys
  • Timothy's World Coffee
    Canadian chain
  • Timothy
    common species of grass
  • Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake
    formerly known as Robin, sidekick DC Comic's Batman, currently known as Red Robin
  • Timothy
    character in The Fosters
  • Timothy Kreider
    character in the webcomic "Riverside Extras" by Miri Chamberlain
  • Timothy "Tim" Riggins
    character in Friday Night Lights
  • Timothy Wright
    full name of Masky from Marble Hornets
  • Timothy "Tim" Stoker
    bisexual icon on "The Magnus Archives"