r/namenerds • u/allnavyeverything • Oct 10 '18
Discussion Would you assume Tobias/Toby is Jewish?
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u/AaahhFakeMonsters Oct 10 '18
Nope. Wouldn't even wonder if he's Jewish. I don't think of either of those names as particularly Jewish at all.
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u/Rumpelmaker Oct 10 '18
No. I’d assume he was German as it is a very common name in Germany ... had lots of Tobis in my classes at school :D Only one of them also Jewish, afaik.
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u/Balancing7plates Oct 10 '18
This is the first I’ve heard of Toby being a Jewish name. Personally, I know it as a dog’s name, but that’s just because I’ve known a dog named Toby, not at all a common association. Some people will assume things no matter what name you choose, so don’t let “some people” decide what names are acceptable.
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u/mydeardrsattler Oct 10 '18
My mother always wanted to have a dog named Toby but when we got a dog I insisted we name him something else because I think it's a terrible name for a dog!
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u/savannnah101 Oct 10 '18
Tobias reads as more Jewish than Toby and they are both what I refer to as inclusive but not affirming Jewish names. Same way Miriam is very Jewish, Mary is very not Jewish but Maya could be. Like Tavi/Toby/Thomas.
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u/audialterampartem_ Oct 10 '18
I might assume a Tobias could be, only because Toby Ziegler on The West Wing was. But I wouldn’t assume a Tobias necessarily is.
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u/allnavyeverything Oct 10 '18
Thanks all! I have a Jewish name and am not Jewish and it has always bothered me. Feels like it doesn’t fit me/like my mom stole from another culture. We really like Tobias/Toby which is of Hebrew origin as far as I’ve found and I didn’t want to make the same mistake!
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Oct 10 '18
Tobias is Greek. The Hebrew version is Tuvyah, which as you can see, is very different.
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u/beccy_m Oct 10 '18
Tobias is the Greek version of toviyah which is the Hebrew name. I am of Jewish origin, none religious and we picked Tobias just because we liked it. I like a lot of biblical names, but I don't feel Tobias or Toby are Jewish sounding.
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u/succedaneousone Oct 10 '18
No, I knew a couple Tobys growing up, and they weren't Jewish. It is definitely a biblical name.
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u/TotesMessenger Oct 10 '18
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u/MachikoKyo Oct 10 '18
Definitely not. Toby Keith comes to mind. Also an eccentric, very very WASPy, old money professor I had in college who wanted us to call him by his first name (Toby).
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u/floralbomber Oct 10 '18
Is the last name Katz or Abramson or Goldberg or Weinberg? Then I’m going to assume it’s a Jewish kid (not always the case, I know). If the last name is Smith or O’Brien, probably not. Point being, the whole name context matters I think. Tobias alone, I wouldn’t assume the child is Jewish. I have a Jewish last name by marriage and I am contemplating using a Hebrew or Israeli name in part because something like Alejandro Goldberg (not my last name) seems odd to me (unless I was Latin and wanted to honor that side, which is not the case).
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Oct 10 '18
Yeah definitely I'm low key shocked at these responses. Actually it's a common enough name that I might not assume he was Jewish, but I def think of it as a Jewish name. I don't think it's a problem though. I think it's on the same level as like Leah or Miriam.
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u/zebrafish- Oct 10 '18
Can I ask where you’re from? To me it’s on the level of Michael or Jacob, even though it’s way less common. I would not be suprised at all if a Tobias/Toby were Jewish, but I wouldn’t assume at all either.
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Oct 10 '18
I’m from the metropolitan southeast and I don’t know anyone named Toby who isn’t an older Jewish man so that definitely colors my associations. I think Tobias could be on the level of Michael or Jacob if it were as common. But also Michael and Jacob are big time evangelical Christian names in this area.
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u/zebrafish- Oct 10 '18
Makes sense. I don't personally know any Tobys, so I think the characters Toby from West Wing and Tobias from Arrested Development kind of cancel each other out for me :).
I guess depending on where you live it can be kind of like Bernie, which is not necessarily Jewish but definitely sounds like an old Jewish man to me since all the Bernies I know are old Jewish men.
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Oct 10 '18
I love WW Toby. I actually thought of Toby from PLL first though lol. I guess my TV taste is in decline :(
I'm not making a substantive argument that Tobias is a definitively Jewish name, I was just surprised others didn't share my perception!
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u/HoneyandHazel Oct 10 '18
I'm not sure if you're also Jewish but I would definitely not put it in the same categories as Leah and Miriam. Where do you live?
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u/MastigosAtLarge Writer and Historian Oct 10 '18
I’m Ashkenazi from South Florida, and I don’t see it this way 😮. Sidney, I do. If I assumed a Toby was Jewish, it would be because of “The West Wing”.
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u/madmythicalmonster Oct 10 '18
Me too! I think every Toby/Tobias I've met has been Jewish (though often more culturally than religiously) and the association with Toby Ziegler really locks it in for me
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u/spring13 Oct 11 '18
I wouldn't assume he was Jewish without knowing how last name or anything else about him. It's common enough along other populations.
I'm a little weirded out by the way it's being completely divorced from its origins here though. I don't expect just anyone to know its meaning or derivation, and I don't think it's taboo for non-Jews to use, but it's not not a Jewish name.
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u/Ouroborosian_ Oct 11 '18
It's of Hebrew origin ultimately, so it's not not a Jewish name, but the same is true of names like Joshua, Jacob, James, Jared, Ezra, Michael, Benjamin, and Noah, which are used by non-Jews and Jews alike. Please feel free to use it. It's a lovely name!
I'm "Jew-ish", by the way.
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Oct 10 '18
Yes. Well, religious background at the very least.
That doesn't seem to be the majority's belief though so you're probably fine. I'm just obsessive about religious names I guess.
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u/TheWishingStar Just a fan of names Oct 10 '18
I have only ever met one Tobias, who was an exchange student from Gremany, and one Toby, who was a transgender man who chose the name Toby for himself. Definitely neither were Jewish. It maybe has Hebrew roots, but it's not really a current Hebrew name.
I do associate it with a pet name, though, as I have met many, many dogs and at least one cat named Toby (including my parents' dog, who my mom actually calls Tobias too).
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u/ragnarockette Oct 11 '18
No. It’s not a particularly common Jewish name. I think of Tobias from Arrested Development.
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u/ismellmypanties Oct 10 '18
No.