Adam vs Toby
Adam and Tobycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #20 and Toby #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Toby #86 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Toby #125 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2019, Adam was ranked #40 and Toby #93 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Toby #234 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #89 and Toby #65 among boys in New Zealand.
Adam and Toby over time
Adam and Toby appear together in 5 published lists, across 122 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Toby in 1.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Toby in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Toby moved ahead of Adam in New Zealand · Boys — #84 and #91 the year before became #89 and #65.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Toby changed places 5 times in New Zealand · Boys between 2002 and 2023, ending at #89 and #65.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Adam and Toby averaged 28.3 places apart, ending at #35 and #86.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Toby in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Toby #42 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Toby #86.
Republic of Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1971–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Toby in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Toby #173 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Toby #329.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1997–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Toby in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Toby #90 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Toby #125.
New Zealand · Boys22 shared years, 2002–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Toby in 17.
Highest recorded here: Adam #34 in 2002, Toby #41 in 2008.
The order changed in 2023: Toby moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #84 and #91; by 2023 that had become #89 and #65.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #89, Toby #65.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys17 shared years, 2003–2019
Adam held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Toby in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #30 in 2003, Toby #52 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Adam #40, Toby #93.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Adam | Toby |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈædəm/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #329 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Toby does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam and Toby both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Toby doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Adam
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #380 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Toby
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #304 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded2002–2023
Highest recorded position: #41 among boys in New Zealand, in 2008 (recorded 2002–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys