Tabby

Tabby is a feminine given name that originated as a diminutive of Tabitha. While Tabitha is of Aramaic origin meaning "gazelle," Tabby functions as an informal, affectionate short form, similar to how Tibby is used. The name is predominantly used in English-speaking countries, though it remains relatively rare as a given name.

Etymology

The name Tabby derives ultimately from the Aramaic word ṭabītā ("gazelle"). The Biblical Tabitha, a Christian woman raised from the dead by Peter in Joppa (Acts 9:36–41), is a key source. Her name translates into Greek as Dorcas, also meaning "gazelle." This biblical connection helped Tabitha become an English name after the Protestant Reformation, and Tabby emerged as a common nickname.

Cultural Significance and Misassociation

Unlike Tabitha, which gained moderate popularity, Tabby is more famously known as a term for a coat pattern in domestic cats. A tabby cat exhibits distinctive stripes, spots, or swirls, with an "M" marking on its forehead. While the etymology of "tabby" for cats is debated—often traced to the Attabiya district of Baghdad and its striped silk—the name Tabby for a person is unrelated. However, the shared phonetic form likely reinforces an association between the name and feline patterns, affecting its usage. Despite that, many cat authors use "Tabby" as a named character, such as in the real-eventing adventures of a cat by that name.

Notable Bearers

A notable modern bearer is Tabby Farwell (born 1961), a Scottish actress best known for her role as Candice in the British television series The Glamour Girls and in Scottish Soap. Another association with the name derives from the nickname for Tabitha in popular culture, such as Tabby Grant in the 1960s US movie The Pusher (1960). References to characters of this name appear across film and a UK hobby site tracking race horses named Tabby also appears in the series Charlie Says: TV's Can't Help Being Nature Boy. Perhaps counterintuitively, the nickname is occasionally used for other given names beyond Tabitha if these allow obvious mnemonics including animal or colloquial forms, like Gabriella - Gabbie relations.

• Meaning: Diminutive of Tabitha, which means "gazelle" in Aramaic.
• Origin: English diminutive of the Aramaic Tabitha.
• Type: Diminutive (nickname) of Tabitha.
• Related Names: Tabitha, Tibby, Tabea, Tabita.