Theodore
Means “god” + “gift”*
Boy’s name · Greek, Latin · /ˈθiː.əˌdɔː/
What Theodore means
Learned borrowing from Latin Theodōrus, borrowed from Ancient Greek Θεόδωρος (Theódōros), from θεός (theós, “god”) + δῶρον (dôron, “gift”). The name was popularized in reference to the prominent St Theodore of Amasea. Unrelated to Theodoric.
A male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek]; the name of a saint, pope, several emperors, etc.
Source: Wiktionary, “Theodore” (revision 93777398), CC BY-SA 4.0.
How popular is Theodore?
same as 2024
▼ 1 vs 2024
▼ 3 vs 2024
US: Rising: up from #99 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #45 in 2015.
Biggest US share so far: 2025, when 13,355 boys got the name (#4 that year). First in the US records in 1880.
How common
- About 1 in 128 baby boys in the US in 2025
- About 1 in 103 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025
- About 1 in 193 baby boys in Scotland in 2025
“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.
Where in the US
Most popular in VT (28.05 per 1,000 boys), WY (24.77 per 1,000 boys), NH (22.42 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.
SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.
US vs UK
Theodore is #4 in the US and #9 in England & Wales (2025).
| Rank 2025 | Babies | How common | Rank 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | #4 | 13,355 | 1 in 128 | #99 |
| England & Wales | #9 | 2,638 | 1 in 103 | #45 |
| Scotland | #39 | 102 | 1 in 193 | #161 |
Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).
Boy or girl?
In 2025, 99.9% of US babies named Theodore were boys.
| Girls | Boys | |
|---|---|---|
| US 2025 | 7 | 13,355 |
| England & Wales 2025 | 0 | 2,638 |
| US all years since 1880 | 969 | 317,206 |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 0 | 32,849 |
Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.
How to say it
IPA from Wiktionary.
Other spellings parents chose in 2025
- Theodor76 US · 63 E&W
- Theadore5 US
Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.
Nicknames
Feminine form: Theodora.
Listed on Wiktionary under “pet forms”.
If you like Theodore
Boys
- Leon#138“lion”*
- Felix#175“happy, lucky”*
- Theo#82Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #405 in 2015, #82 in 2025
- Niko#325Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1962, with 5 babies
- Augustine#545Same root as Austin, meaning “majestic”*
- Ambrose#735“immortal, divine”*
For a sister
- Rosemary#251“dew of the sea”*
- Mabel#201“lovable”*
- Ophelia#264possibly “help, aid, succour”*
- Florence#391“flowering, flourishing”*
- Flora#607Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #1,337 in 2015, #607 in 2025
- Thea#353“goddess”*
Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under Greek, Latin, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Theodore’s. Rank is US 2025.
Famous people named Theodore
- Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909 (1858–1919)
- Theodore Dreiser American novelist and journalist (1871–1945)
- Theodore William Richards United States chemist (1868–1928)
- Theodore Schultz American economist (1902–1998)
- Theodore von Kármán Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist (1881–1963)
Characters
- Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell character on American television series Prison Break
People with this given name on Wikidata that have an English Wikipedia article, most widely covered first. Descriptions from Wikidata.
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