Tabitha

Meaning of Tabitha

Rooted in the Aramaic ṭabyīthā, “gazelle,” Tabitha carries the quick-footed grace of its meaning into English-speaking history: introduced by the Apostle Peter’s charitable miracle in Acts, polished by the Puritans’ taste for scriptural rarities, and then whisked into modern pop culture when baby Tabitha twitched her nose on the 1960s sitcom “Bewitched.” Across the Atlantic it is usually voiced as TAB-ih-thuh, while Americans often favor tuh-BEE-thuh—either way, the consonants click like a dancer’s heels before springing into that soft, disarming final vowel. Notably, U.S. Social Security data show the name leaping from near-obscurity in the early 1960s to a peak of 2,310 births in 1978 (rank 124), then strolling downward at a measured pace to today’s mid-800s—proof that, much like its fleet-footed namesake, Tabitha never quite stands still. Literary and pop references abound: Beatrix Potter’s fuss-budget Tabitha Twitchit, Stephen King’s cool-headed journalist Tabitha King, even the dry wit of author Tabitha Brown. Altogether, the name offers parents an appealing blend of biblical heritage, vintage charm, and a sly hint of mischief—perfect for a daughter who may prefer scaling bookcases to merely staring at them.