The name is found in the New Testament as the name of a woman brought back to life by the Apostle Peter, she is also referred to as Dorcas which is the Greek equivalent of the name (see Acts 9:36).
As a given name, it seems to have been popular among the Puritans and remained very common among early Americans. It was borne by Tabitha Babbitt (1784-1853) an early American woman tool maker credited for inventing the circular saw. It was also borne by Oregon pioneer Tabitha Brown (1780-1858) credited as the foundress of Pacific University.
The name was again brought to the American public’s attention via the 1960s sitcom, Bewitched, in which the daughter of Samantha and Darren Stephens is named Tabitha. There was also a spin-off of the show entitled Tabitha.
Currently, Tabitha 641st most popular female name in the United States. Its German offshoot of Tabea (tah-BEY-ah) is the 139th most popular female name in Germany (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
Tabita (Czech/Slovak. Diminutive is Tabitka)
Tavitha Ταβιθά (Greek: modern)
Gazela (Polish: very unusual)
The default English diminutives are either Tabby or Tibby.
The designated name day is October 25.