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Home β€Ί Baby Names Directory β€Ί Koby

Koby

β™‚ Boy

Pronounced KOH-bee /ˈkoʊ.bi/Medium

Meaning: Holder of the heelMedium

In 30 seconds: Koby is an English form related to Jacob, carrying the meaning 'holder of the heel'.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningHolder of the heel
U.S. rank (2025)#2174 β†˜ Falling
2025 U.S. births66 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2000
Total births (all-time)β‰ˆ 6,035

Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data

peak 200019582025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

It traces back through the Jacob family of names to the sense of grasping the heel, the image behind Jacob's biblical story. Koby and its twin spelling Coby sit alongside fuller relatives like the Arabic Yacoub and Yakub and the short form Jake.

Koby has a brisk, friendly two-syllable sound that works as a name in its own right. Basketball executive Koby Altman of the Cleveland Cavaliers is one bearer.

Did you know? Koby is a spelling variant of Coby, so it keeps the same core meaning of 'holder of the heel' while changing the visual style.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Koby β€” etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration β€” 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

CobyJakeJebYacoubYakub

Nicknames

β€”

Famous Bearers

  • β˜…Koby Altman (1982–present)
    American basketball executive, President of Basketball Operations of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If you like Koby…

Cobyβ€” A listed variation of Koby with the same sound.
Jacobβ€” The source name meaning 'holder of the heel' behind Koby.
Jakeβ€” A short form of Jacob given as a relative of Koby.
Kolbyβ€” shares the -by ending
Kirbyβ€” lands in the same popularity range

Explore names like Koby

By thememodernenglish

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Koby mean?

Koby is usually explained as meaning 'holder of the heel' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Koby?

It's commonly said KOH-bee /ˈkoʊ.bi/.

Is Koby a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Koby is used as a boy name.

How popular is Koby?

In 2024, Koby ranked #2065 in the U.S. for boys, with 73 births recorded.

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