Greek3 syllablesBiblical
Meaning: honouring God.
Timothy
| Origin | Greek — Timotheos, a name in use before Christianity adopted it |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Honouring God, from Greek timao (to honour) + theos (god) |
| Pronunciation | TIM-uh-thee (three syllables) |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100 — one of the biggest American boy names of the 1960s and 1970s, and much reduced since |
| Variants | Timothée (French), Timoteo (Italian, Spanish), Timotheus (Latin), Timofey (Russian) |
| Nicknames | Tim, Timmy, Timo |
| Bible | The addressee of 1 and 2 Timothy, the two Pauline pastoral letters |
History & meaning
Timothy is one of the few biblical names whose meaning is completely transparent. Greek Timotheos joins timao, to honour or to value, with theos, god: honouring God. It was an ordinary Greek name before the New Testament, borne by generals and citizens with no Christian connection at all, which is a useful reminder that the piety came later than the word.
The bearer everyone means is Paul's young protege from Lystra, son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, who travelled with Paul and received the two letters that bear his name. English speakers took Timothy up after the Reformation, when the New Testament name stock came into general use, and it became enormous in mid-century America: one of the most-used boy names of the 1960s and 1970s. It has been falling steadily since, which is exactly the stage at which a solid name starts sounding fresh again rather than merely dated.
Why parents choose it
It is warm without being soft, it has never been strange, and it comes with Tim already attached, a nickname that fits a toddler and a chief executive equally well. For parents who want a name with genuine religious weight but no severity, it is close to the ideal. It also has the advantage of being unambiguous everywhere: no spelling variant has ever gained ground, and nobody has to ask twice.
Middle names for Timothy
Three light syllables want a firm landing: Timothy James, Timothy Cole, Timothy Grant, Timothy Reid. Longer middles blur the whole thing. The middle names guide works through the stress pattern.
Famous Timothys
Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web at CERN in 1989. Timothy Dalton played James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. Tim Cook has run Apple since 2011, and Timothy Olyphant has carried Deadwood and Justified. Tim Duncan, christened Timothy Theodore, won five NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs.
Consider instead
Theodore shares the theos element and is currently far more fashionable. Thomas offers the same unshakeable steadiness in two syllables. Simon is another New Testament name that stayed likeable while going quiet.