Tabitha
Tabitha (/ˈtæbɪθə/) is an English feminine given name, originating with (or made popular through) Saint Tabitha, mentioned in the New Testament.
 The Stephens family from Bewitched: Dick Sargent (Darrin), Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha) Erin Murphy (Tabitha), David Lawrence (Adam Stephens). The name Tabitha rose in use after the character appeared on the show. | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtæbɪθə/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Biblical |
| Meaning | "Gazelle" and perhaps "Gracious" |
| Region of origin | Aramaic |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Tabata, Tabatha, Tabathina, Tab, Tabby, Tabetha, Tabytha |
In the Bible
Tabitha, or Dorcas, the Greek equivalent of the name, is a woman mentioned in the New Testament. The English name is derived from an Aramaic word, טביתא/ܛܒܝܬܐ ṭaḇīṯā "[female] gazelle",[1] cf. Hebrew: צְבִיָּה Tzviya (classical ṣəḇīyāh). It is a biblical name from Acts of the Apostles (Acts 9:36), which in the original Greek was Ταβιθά, in which Tabitha is a woman raised from the dead by Saint Peter.
Variants
Other spellings include Tabytha, Tabatha, Tabata, Tabathina and Tabea.
Use in the United States and the United Kingdom
The name was common in 18th century New England, and of those born between 1718 and 1745, ranked about 31st as most common female given names, about 0.56% of the population. The name gained a resurgence in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, when it was ranked among the 200 most popular names for girls. The character Tabitha Stephens, a child witch on the 1960s television situation comedy Bewitched, raised the profile of the name.[2] It was ranked among the 1,000 most popular names for girls born in the United States until 2016 and has since declined in usage. There were 149 American girls born in 2022 who were given the name.[3]
The name has ranked among the 300 most popular name for girls in England and Wales between 1996 and 2020.[4]
People
Tabitha
- Dorcas (Greek version of the name), or Tabitha (Aramaic version of the name), Christian woman raised from the dead by Saint Peter
- Tabitha Babbitt (1779–1853), American toolmaker and inventor, inventor of the circular saw
- Tabitha Brown (1780–1858), American pioneer in the Oregon Territory
- Tabitha Chawinga (born 1996), Malawian footballer
- Tabitha D'umo (born 1973), American choreographer, dance teacher and creative director
- Tabitha Ann Holton (c. 1854–1886), first woman licensed as a lawyer in North Carolina
- Tabitha Karanja (born 1964), Kenyan businesswoman, entrepreneur and industrialist
- Tabitha King (born 1949), American author and wife of Stephen King
- Tabitha Love (born 1991), Canadian volleyball player
- Tabitha Lupien (born c. 1988), Canadian actress and competitive dancer
- Tabitha Nauser (born 1992), Singaporean singer
- Tabitha Peterson (born 1989), American curler
- Tabitha Sybil Quaye, Ghanaian politician and Member of Parliament (1992-1997)
- Tabitha Soren (born 1967), reporter for MTV News
- Tabitha St. Germain (born 1976), Canadian stage and voice actress
- Tabitha Suzuma (born 1975), British writer
- Tabitha Gilman Tenney (1762–1837), American author and novelist
- Tabitha Tsatsa (born 1972), Zimbabwean marathon runner
- Tabitha Wady (born 1976), British actress
- Tabitha Yim (born 1985), American gymnast and coach
Tabatha
- Tabatha Coffey (born 1967), Australian hairstylist, salon owner and television personality
Fictional characters
Comics
- Tabitha Smith, a Marvel superhero character
Literature
- Tabitha Twitchit, an anthropomorphic cat who features in the books of Beatrix Potter
- Tabitha "Tibby" Rollins, the main character in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Movies and television
- Tabitha Galavan, on the American TV series Gotham
- Tabitha Holswatz, more commonly known as "Tabby", a character on Monster Warriors
- Tabitha Lenox, on the NBC daytime drama Passions
- Tabitha Stephens, a child witch from the 1960s American sitcom Bewitched and its 1970s spinoff Tabitha
- Tabitha Wilson, on the American teen drama series 90210
- Tabitha, in the light novel and anime The Familiar of Zero
- Tabitha, in Scary Movie 3
- Tabitha, a fairy queen in Thumbelina (1994 film)
- Tabitha, a girl who owns Roddy the rat in Flushed Away
- Tabitha, the name of an evil fairy god mother who allies with the main villain of season four from DC's Legends of Tomorrow
- Tabitha Templeton, a character from The Boss Baby: Family Business and The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib.
Video games
- Tabitha, in the 2010 video game Fallout New Vegas
- Tabitha, in the DS game Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
- Team Magma Admin. Tabitha, Team Magma second in command from the Pokémon game franchise, a rare example of Tabitha being used as a masculine name
See also
References
- "Dorcas". The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). Columbia University Press. May 2001. Archived from the original on 2007-02-21. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- Schoenberg, Nara (27 July 2010). "Baby names with some bite". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- "Popular Baby Names".
- "Popularity for the name Tabitha - Behind the Name".