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Theodore

Gender
Boy
Say it
THEE-o-dor
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#10 for boys
US rank, 2025
#4 for boys

Theodore is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “gift of God”. In 2025 it ranked 10th for boys in the UK (2,789 babies) and 4th for boys in the US (13,355 babies).

What does Theodore mean?

Greek: from Theodoros

“gift of God”

From Greek theos, god, and doron, gift; US President Theodore Roosevelt gave his name to the teddy bear.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Theodore a girl's or a boy's name?

Theodore is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 2,789 boys in the UK and 7 girls and 13,355 boys in the US.

How popular is Theodore in the UK?

Rank in 2025
10th among boys
Babies in 2025
2,789 about 1 in 110 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 11% in five years
Same name in a class
12% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 2,789 boys in the UK were named Theodore, making it the 10th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 16th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 3,017 boys.

2025 had fewer boys named Theodore than any year since 2019.

Half of all the boys named Theodore in the UK since 1996 were born between 2015 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among boys in 2025, it was 9th in England and Wales, 39th in Scotland and 40th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2014 (#59) and 2024 (#8).

1996Busiest: 3,017 in 20212025
Theodore in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
20252,789#10
20242,924#9
20232,809#10
20222,983#11
20213,017#14
20202,884#16
20192,782#20
20181,996#31
20171,831#38
20161,534#44
20151,348#51
20141,131#64
2013840#85
2012672#108
2011524#133
2010442#147
2009445#145
2008450#143
2007401#152
2006345#165
2005302#172
2004244#184
2003251#175
2002246#171
2001202#187
2000197#191
1999183#200
1998177#205
1997170#216
1996159#220

How popular is Theodore in the US?

Rank in 2025
4th among boys
Babies in 2025
13,355 about 1 in 130 boys
Five-year trend
Rising up 55% in five years
Same name in a class
10% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 13,355 boys in the US were named Theodore, making it the 4th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 23rd. 7 girls were also named Theodore in 2025 (11,928th for girls).

It has been given to more boys each year for the last 22 years. 2025 had the most boys named Theodore of any year since the records began in 1880.

Half of all the boys named Theodore in the US since 1880 were born between 1936 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 13,355 in 20252025
Theodore in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
202513,355#4
202412,069#4
202311,093#7
202210,824#10
20219,600#10
20208,638#23
20197,896#36
20187,088#44
20175,973#61
20164,910#83
20154,155#99
20143,228#126
20132,429#167
20121,945#194
20111,573#230
20101,333#257
20091,239#276
20081,139#293
20071,137#300
20061,133#295
20051,095#299
20041,005#313
2003964#309
2002975#300
2001935#306
2000934#312
1999913#314
1998984#289
1997956#291
1996905#294
1995956#284
1994941#291
19931,036#277
19921,093#259
19911,098#251
19901,231#233
19891,293#216
19881,239#211
19871,218#206
19861,256#200
19851,211#200
19841,069#213
19831,156#206
19821,189#207
19811,133#218
19801,194#206
19791,238#198
19781,212#195
19771,223#194
19761,174#189
19751,197#189
19741,269#180
19731,342#175
19721,419#175
19711,664#166
19701,829#160
19691,945#153
19681,887#149
19671,854#149
19661,905#149
19652,140#143
19642,169#152
19632,387#142
19622,316#146
19612,303#151
19602,382#149
19592,399#146
19582,503#140
19572,760#132
19562,955#119
19552,976#120
19543,074#115
19532,937#112
19523,270#100
19513,216#99
19502,960#99
19493,041#100
19482,830#104
19472,928#102
19462,612#101
19452,347#101
19442,574#96
19432,616#96
19422,665#91
19412,330#95
19402,306#90
19392,196#90
19382,360#84
19372,317#86
19362,219#87
19352,433#79
19342,523#74
19332,611#68
19322,674#67
19312,666#70
19302,958#67
19292,903#65
19282,916#66
19273,124#62
19263,129#63
19253,226#63
19243,225#65
19233,157#62
19223,216#62
19213,172#65
19203,219#63
19193,424#54
19183,143#64
19172,809#63
19162,641#65
19152,504#64
19141,929#64
19131,650#60
19121,561#52
1911753#56
1910692#53
1909595#51
1908643#47
1907712#38
1906688#38
1905834#33
1904834#30
1903663#36
1902642#34
1901450#43
1900429#61
1899252#78
1898281#75
1897215#85
1896241#82
1895208#93
1894241#81
1893209#90
1892239#82
1891224#76
1890190#89
1889231#75
1888249#80
1887201#82
1886258#69
1885199#83
1884211#81
1883185#81
1882232#75
1881178#78
1880232#70

Nicknames for Theodore

Names like Theodore

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Theo, Archie, Leo, Louie, George, Freddie, Henry, Arthur, Charlie, Oliver, Reuben, Elijah

Other spellings of Theodore

Theodor

Names related to Theodore

Teodor, Teodoro, Theodoro, Theadore

More Greek names

Luca, Sophia, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Iris, Maisie, Lainey

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Theodore: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/theodore, updated 20 October 2026.