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Original poster

Opinions on the name Toby?

53 replies

Bellaholland · 01/02/2012 10:21

Hi all,
What do people think of the name Toby? My husband loves it and it's not a common name here in holland (35 last year). I was just put off by a few comments from people in UK that it's a dogs name! ???
Thanks
Annabelle

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strawberrypenguin · 01/02/2012 10:27

Love it (I'm in England) it was on my list for DS but DH vetoed it!

Marne · 01/02/2012 10:28

I love it, dd1 has a Toby in her class and it really suits him Smile. I think i only know 2 Toby's.

BebeBelge · 01/02/2012 10:29

I absolutely love it! i really like Tobias too. TBF my granny did have a dog called Toby about 20 years ago but I would never associate it with a dog now - can't remember the last time I heard of a dog called Toby1

Original poster
Bellaholland · 01/02/2012 10:33

Oh good reactions! I love Tobias too but my husband has an upsetting story about a Tobias so it put us off. Tobias is also common here and is never shortened to Toby. Does it go with Jacob? So Toby Jacob van Nieuwkoop? And our 2 year old daughter is called Pippi Marie (Pip). Thanks xxx

OP posts:
2madboys · 01/02/2012 10:39

Love it - I have one Grin

zipzap · 01/02/2012 10:48

I have one too - and I love it, so does everybody else when they hear it.

And I think it goes well with the rest of the names he would have and pip too! Go for it...

chummymummy7 · 01/02/2012 11:19

I wouldn't pay much attention to the dog's name argument. If everyone did, there would be no Oscars, Rufuses, Jaspers etc. Toby is a great name that suits both a baby and a strong grown man.

Littlecherublegs · 01/02/2012 11:25

I really like it,love Tobias too!

I did know a dog called Toby but as chummy says above, there are loads of now popular names which have also been used for pets.

Toby Jacob is lovely! Smile

PopcornBiscuit · 01/02/2012 11:29

You might find that some people assume it's short for Tobias, so you may still be reminded of the Tobias story - would that put you off?

puzzletree · 01/02/2012 11:53

I have a 3yo Toby (not short for anything) so obviously I love it. It's a pretty popular boys name here at the moment, no-one's made a negative comment that I've heard :). Toby Jacob is lovely.

kerala · 01/02/2012 11:54

Love it. Bizarrely underused so will stand out from all the Bens, Joshs and Olivers.

birdofthenorth · 01/02/2012 11:54

Love it.

BadTasteFlump · 01/02/2012 11:59

Not keen to be honest - although I am biased. 'Toby' seems to be used as a label for badly behaved children amongst the older generations here. The only child named Toby I know is in my son's class, and he is a little firework, to put it delicately.....

BreeVanDerTramp · 01/02/2012 11:59

Love Toby, I have one he is fab Grin Anyone who refers to him as Tobias gets met with 'THE LOOK' and they don't call him it again. Likewise to anyone referring to DS1 as Ollie instead of Oliver.

silentcatastrophe · 01/02/2012 12:07

I know LOTS of dogs called Toby. There are some children at school called Toby, but I am thinking of it now more as a dog's name.

peeriebear · 01/02/2012 12:10

It's my least favourite boy's name of all time, ever. But I realise I am greatly outnumbered :)

Ragwort · 01/02/2012 12:12

I don't like it either, its not too bad for a child but I'm not sure I would want to call an adult male 'Toby' (no rational explanation though Grin).

SetFiretotheRain · 01/02/2012 12:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WinkyWinkola · 01/02/2012 12:19

I like Tobias.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 01/02/2012 12:29

I know one 6 year old Toby and one grown up one. I'm not that keen TBH, never have been and agree with whoever said it's ok for a boy but a bit young sounding for a grownup. What particularly puts me off now is the younger one's mother calls him Tobes, which I don't like at all and I am usually all in favour of shortened versions of names as nicknames.

Becaroooo · 01/02/2012 12:41

I have a 3 year old called Toby.

Dont know any others.

Re: the dogs name thing...dogs can be called anything!...I know a lot of dogs called Mollie but its still a pretty name!

I like Tobias too, but mine ds2 is just Toby.

iseenodust · 01/02/2012 12:44

Like Toby and Tobias.

Original poster
Bellaholland · 01/02/2012 13:06

Thanks all! It's funny the more comments I read good and bad the more I like it and the more I believe this is a boy(we don't know)!! I am bit too worried about the mixed opinion of dog name. We get lots of different reactions of Pippi's name but she is just that a Pippi/pip. She is tiny (we will never have a giant both short people) si dont think we need a big manly mans name!! and for some odd reason I feel this is a Toby now!

OP posts:
ragged · 01/02/2012 13:08

I like it but it is very very common here (for boys, not dogs).
Does sound like a good name for a dog, come to think of it.
I would go for Tobias with nn=Toby.

jaffacakehips · 01/02/2012 13:09

Oh FFS...this bloody dogs name crap really gets my goat. Toby is a lovely name adds to list of baby names

I know dogs called, Sally, Pippa, Millie, Molly, Ted, Morgan, George and Ed. My own name is in here too. No ones says oh what a lovely dogs name you have given you.