Show ContentsTobias History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Tobias family

The surname Tobias was first found in Essex where they held a family seat. Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the Priory of Thoby held by a Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Tobias (d. 726), was an early English divine, "Bishop of Rochester, is said to have been a native of Kent and to have been educated at Dover and Canterbury. He died in 726 and was buried in St. Paul's Church in St. Andrew's Cathedral at Rochester. " 1

Early History of the Tobias family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tobias research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1142, 1250 and 1275 are included under the topic Early Tobias History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tobias Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Toby, Thoby, Tobias, Tobey, Thobey and others.

Early Notables of the Tobias family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • the Tobias family of Essex

Tobias Ranking

In the United States, the name Tobias is the 2,687th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2


United States Tobias migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tobias Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Tobias, who arrived in South Carolina in 1741 3
  • Christopher Tobias, who arrived in New York in 1762 3
Tobias Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Tobias, aged 40, who landed in Ohio in 1812 3
  • Samuel J Tobias, who landed in New York in 1821 3
  • Antze Tobias, who settled in Illinois sometime between 1849 and 1900
  • S Tobias, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
  • A. J. Tobias, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Tobias migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tobias Settlers in Canada in the 16th Century
  • Capt. Tobias, who settled in Nova Scotia sometime between 1598 and 1867

Contemporary Notables of the name Tobias (post 1700) +

  • Charles Tobias (1898-1970), American songwriter inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970
  • George Tobias (1901-1980), American character actor
  • Andrew Tobias (b. 1947), American journalist, author, and columnist
  • Paul Tobias (b. 1963), former member of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses
  • John Tobias (b. 1969), American co-creator of the Mortal Kombat fighting game series
  • Jesse Tobias (b. 1972), American guitarist
  • Ruth Tobias, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1972 4
  • Max Tobias, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1952 4
  • Julius D. Tobias, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 19th District, 1930 4
  • George W. Tobias, American Republican politician, Republican Candidate for Michigan State Senate, 1952, 1954, 1956; Candidate for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 2nd District, 1961 4
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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