Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Tobias

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TOBIAS

GENDER: Masculine

USAGE: Biblical, German, Scandinavian, English, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek

OTHER SCRIPTS: Τωβιας (Ancient Greek)

PRONOUNCED: to-BEE-ahs (German), tə-BIE-əs (English) [key]

Meaning & History

Greek form of TOBIAH. This is the name of the hero of the apocryphal Book of Tobit in many English versions of the Old Testament. It relates how Tobias, with the help of the archangel Raphael, is able to drive away a demon who has been plaguing Sarah, who subsequently becomes his wife. This story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the name came into occasional use in parts of Europe at that time. In England it became common after the Protestant Reformation.

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