boy's name
Theodore
THEE-uh-dor
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 383,212
the United States
#4
2025 births
Theodore is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God," formed from theos, meaning god, and doron, meaning gift. It was borne by numerous early saints and by Theodore of Tarsus, the seventh-century Archbishop of Canterbury who reorganized the early English church.
- Theodore is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 13,362 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 248 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Theodore over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,176 |
| 1890s | 2,300 |
| 1900s | 6,519 |
| 1910s | 21,204 |
| 1920s | 31,469 |
| 1930s | 25,088 |
| 1940s | 26,317 |
| 1950s | 29,144 |
| 1960s | 21,389 |
| 1970s | 13,658 |
| 1980s | 12,046 |
| 1990s | 10,113 |
| 2000s | 10,556 |
| 2010s | 40,549 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 65,647 |
What Theodore means
Theodore means "gift of God," a compound of the Greek words for god and gift. It belongs to a family of Greek devotional names built the same way, and is the mirror image of Dorothea, which combines the same two elements in reverse order.
Where Theodore comes from
Theodore comes from the Greek Theodoros, from theos, god, and doron, gift. It was widespread in the Greek-speaking early Christian world and carried by many saints and martyrs, which spread it across both Eastern and Western Christendom. Theodore of Tarsus, a Greek-born monk who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 668, is a significant early English bearer and did much to organize the church in Anglo-Saxon England. The name has an exact mirror in Dorothea, which reverses the two elements to the same effect. It has been in continuous English use since the medieval period, with a strong revival in recent decades.
How popular is Theodore?
In 2025, Theodore was given to 13,362 babies in the United States, ranking #4 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Theodore is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Theodore is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Théodore | Théodore is Theodore written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #203 in France, against #1,381 for Theodore. | 3,625 |
Names that peaked alongside Theodore
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Theodore also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Theodore over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Theodore
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Theodore in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Theodore
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Theodore — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Theodore
What does the name Theodore mean?
Theodore means "gift of God," from the Greek theos (god) and doron (gift).
What are nicknames for Theodore?
Theo, Ted, and Teddy are the most common short forms.
Is Theodore related to Dorothea?
Yes. Dorothea uses the same two Greek elements in the opposite order, with the same meaning.
How popular is the name Theodore?
In 2025, Theodore was given to 13,362 babies in the United States, ranking #4 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Theodore a girl's or a boy's name?
Theodore is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Theodore?
Theodore has 3 syllables.
When was Theodore most popular?
Theodore peaked in 2025, when 13,362 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Theodore a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Theodore currently ranks #3 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.