Opinions on the name Toby?

[Bellaholland]

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

I have a 5 year old one so I love it. And I love calling him Tobes.

Sorry for the rant Bellaholland on your thread. Love you're DD's name...hhhm i wonder way

I'm afraid that when I had a long-term boyfriend called Toby 20 years ago my granny kept telling me that she 'had a lovely dog called Toby once'.

Not surprisingly she was never that popular with him.

It's a great name but I do know lots and lots of them here in England (not such a problem for you if it's not so common in Holland). I also have a grown-up brother called Toby, it's funny that it's come so much back into fashion because it was always quite unique when we were growing up.
Toby Jacob is nice too.

Oh and by the way, you get past the "pet" name thing. My nephew is Felix and when I first heard it all I could think of was cats (and cat food), but now when I hear of a Felix I just think of my lovely nephew.

I think it's a nice name, and I've never met a dog with it! Only met one human now I think of it, he was Tobias nn Toby.

Not that it should matter, as jaffa says some dogs have perfectly nice names. My older dog is called Sam and that's a nice/normal name for a boy as well.

Maybe it's the 'y' ending - thinking about it a lot of dogs names seem to have that sound. I can think of Judy, Lottie, Sadie, Alfie, Charlie, Cassie, Ollie, Kelly, Polly etc from the ones I know...but I wouldn't think 'dog' if I met someone with one of those names!

I've never come across a dog called Toby, but there is one in my street called Dave.

I like it.

I like everyones comments! Jaffacakehips did you mean you like my daughters name? I don't get the DD thing! Not in the know!

Love the name Toby, it was 2nd on my list for my son when I was pregnant :)

I like it and would call my ds Toby but dh doesn't. Don't know any dogs called Toby and I do know one 4 year old boy who is lovely.

Really like it - probably top of my list for any future DS. DS is Jacob so you obviously have good taste and I agree they go well together.

I'm undecided whether I'd personally go for Tobias. I do prefer Toby, but I think Tobias would go better with potential mn and also gives more options. I'm wary of doing this though as I was given a longer name with the intention of a nn being used and I insisted on the full version from the age of 9 onwards

I have a young one but also know an older one (a paramedic) both are lovely and well behaved ( I may be biased with regards to the younger one ) I know 1 other, although have heard it in the park a couple of times (boy not dog!)

My Great Aunt (95) thought it was a dogs name

It is the name of my 2nd son. It is who he is, but I am not mad keen on it.
And I completely agree about it seeming like a child's name rather than an adult's, but is will just be him and his name as he grows.
We also call him Tobe and Tobes.

I think Toby is the traditional name for Punch and Judy's dog

I wouldn't worrry about the dogs name thing either.
it isn't too popular so go for it.

Darling Daughter = DD. Your daughter and I share a name!

Someone put me off Toby for DS2 because of the dog thing... I really regretted it later. I know two Tobys, both in their early 20's, both lovely and neither of them have ever had a 'dog' comment... I asked!

I haven't met many Tobys (not posh enough), just one man and one dog.

Popcorn Toby really isn't a posh name these days, I think lots of names have just become used by everyone. We live in a very unposh area and I know very unposh children called Sebastian, Tristan, Gabriel...

I love Toby. If we hadn't already used it (um for the dog, sorry!) we would have it on the list for DC1. I didn't think of it as a dog name before we used it. And I know a little boy called Toby too. If you love it, go for it!

My uncle (a farmer) has a succession of Jack Russell house dogs and they're always called Toby.

It's a nice name - my cousin has just called her DS Tobie. Not sure why the 'ie' ending instead of 'y'. Her DH is Dutch, funnily enough.

Likewise, I have to admit that I think of it as more of a boy's name than a man's name. James Bond, for example, just wouldn't have been as suave and debonair, nor had as much success with the laydeez if he'd been called Toby.

I don't mind Tobias but really don't like Toby - it just sounds a bit wet to me...sorry but we all have different tastes so go for it if you love it! Yes I do know some dogs called Toby but also a lot of other names that are popular and not considered "dog's names" so I wouldn't worry about that...

I told my husband that I am now loving the name Toby thinking he would be chuffed. Oh great he said but I love Ben now too! Ahhhhhhhh! But he is not winning that one! To me Ben sounds too odd in Dutch "i am Ben" would be "ik ben Ben!"

LOVE the name Toby (and Tobias) - I have one !! - i also have a Jacob (Jake)