Tobias is the transliteration of the Koinē Greek : Τωβίας, which is a Graecisation of the Hebrew biblical name טוֹבִיה, Toviyah, ' Yah is good'. With the biblical Book of Tobit being present in the Deuterocanonical books and Biblical apocrypha, Tobias is a popular male given name for both Christians and Jews in English-speaking countries, German-speaking countries, the Low Countries, and Scandinavian countries.
In English-speaking countries, it is often shortened to Toby and derivative names include Tobey. In German, this name appears as Tobias or Tobi; in French as Tobie; and in Swedish as Tobias or Tobbe.
Several people are called Tobias or similar names in the Bible era:
Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew.
The Book of Tobit is an apocryphal Jewish work from the 3rd or early 2nd century BCE which describes how God tests the faithful, responds to prayers, and protects the covenant community. It tells the story of two Israelite families, that of the blind Tobit in Nineveh and of the abandoned Sarah in Ecbatana. Tobit's son Tobias is sent to retrieve ten silver talents that Tobit once left in Rhages, a town in Media. Guided and aided by the angel Raphael he arrives in Ecbatana, where he meets Sarah. A demon named Asmodeus has fallen in love with her and kills anyone she intends to marry, but with the aid of Raphael the demon is exorcised and Tobias and Sarah marry. Tobias and Sarah then return to Nineveh, where Tobit is cured of his blindness.
Elias is the hellenized version for the name of Elijah, a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy books. Due to Elias' role in the scriptures and to many later associated traditions, the name is used as a personal name in numerous languages.
Adam is a common masculine given name in the English language, of Hebrew origin.
König is the German word for "king". In German and other languages applying the umlaut, the transliterations Koenig and Kœnig, when referring to a surname, also occur. As a surname in English, the use of Koenig is usual, and sometimes also Konig. Notable people with the name include:
Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה Toviah, which translates to Good is Yahweh. Yahweh is the name of the Jewish God.
Sven is a Scandinavian masculine first name. In Old Norse the meaning was "young man" or "servant" and the original Old Norse spelling was sveinn.
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr.
The surname Tobias derives from the Greek form (Τοβίας) of the Hebrew male given name "Tovya" טוביה, meaning "God is good". In the Old Testament of the Bible, Tobias is the hero of the Book of Tobit who defeats a demon with archangel Raphael's help.
Hanson is an Anglicized English surname of Scandinavian and German origin, created from the two words Hans and son. Spoken in English by a German or Swedish immigrant to America, for example, the sound of Hans' son comes out sounding like Hansson, shortened to Hanson. In this same example, an immigrant from Norway would have a different accent, resulting in the sound of Hans' sen, or Hanssen, shortened to Hansen.
Ralph is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English Rædwulf and Old High German Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse Raðulfr.
Sebastian is both a given name and a surname. It comes from the Greek name Sebastianos (Σεβαστιανός) meaning "from Sebastia" (Σεβάστεια), which was the name of the city now known as Sivas, located in the central portion of what is now Turkey; in Western Europe the name comes through the Latinized intermediary Sebastianus. It was a name of ancient Greek origin, given to children not born free and found on the streets of Sebastia. The name of the city is derived from the Greek word σεβαστός (sebastos), "venerable", which comes from σέβας (sebas), "awe, reverence, dread", in turn from the verb σέβομαι (sebomai), "feel awe, scruple, be ashamed". Sebastos was the Greek calque of the title Augustus, which was used for Roman emperors. Sebastian became a widely used name because it was the name of Saint Sebastian, a third-century Christian martyr.
Jonas is a common male name in many Western world countries and Northeast Africa. It is primarily used as a first name, but also occurs as a surname. It is particularly frequent in Germany, Israel, Ethiopia, the Netherlands, Flanders and Scandinavia. It is also the most common name in Lithuania; however, in Lithuania, the name Jonas is derived from the Hebrew Yohanan as opposed to Jonah.
Hannah spelled ', Hanna, Hana', Hanah, or Chana, is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is derived from the root ḥ-n-n, meaning "favour" or "grace". A Dictionary of First Names attributes the name to a word meaning 'He (God) has favoured me with a child'. Anne, Ana, Ann, and other variants of the name derive from the Hellenized Hebrew: Anna (Ἅννα)
Marcus is a masculine given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived either from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning or referring to the god Mars. Mars was identified as the Roman god of War.
Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of English and Irish origin.
Anton is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Latin name Antonius, and used in various languages. Notable people and characters with the name include:
Malik, Maleek, Malek or Malyk is a given name of Semitic origin. It is both used as first name and surname originally mainly in Western Asia by Semitic speaking Christians, Muslims and Jews of varying ethnicities, before spreading to countries in the Caucasus, South Asia, Central Asia, North Africa and Southeast Asia where most users are Muslim.
Hank is a male given name. It may have been inspired by the Dutch name Henk, itself a short form of Hendrik and thus related to Harry & Harvey.
Faber is the Latin word for "smith". Like a few other Latin occupational names, it was adopted as a surname in the Low Countries and Germany. It is also common in England, perhaps due to Norman French influence. Notable people with the surname include: