Tobia Surname Meaning & Coat of Arms

In census returns, Tobia often stands in for Tobias. The name is usually explained as “God is good”. Tobia drops the “s” of Tobias, a shortening that clerks often made. Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them.

Spanish register data show 233 residents carrying Tobia as first surname, and 231 as second surname. Each Spaniard has two surnames, so the same name is counted once as first and once as second surname. INSEE counts 186 people born in France with the Tobia surname between 1891 and 2000; the busiest decade was 1961–1970.

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Tobias surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. For the full story, order the Tobia surname pack.