Teddy

Diminutive of Theodora, Greek

"gift of God"

Teddy Origin and Meaning

The name Teddy is a girl's name meaning "gift of God".

Cute boyish short forms like Teddy and Frankie and Billie are in some ways a relic of the past, of the days before unisex names, when girls were given feminized versions of their father's names, but they are starting to come into their own again.

Frankie is one choice especially on the rise but Teddy is adorable too, most obviously short for Theodora but it could also work as a nickname for Dorothea or Thea or Althea or Theodosia -- you get the picture. On its own, Teddy feels slighter than Thea.

Teddy Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 561 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Teddy

• 561 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Teddy

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Teddy.

• Junie
• Teddi
• Georgie
• Bennie
• Ollie
• Lou
• Iggy
• Bobbie
• Tilly
• Ruthie
• Beau
• Quincy
• Tillie
• Kirby
• Rudy
• Lenny
• Lollie
• Perry
• Joss
• Posie

Famous People Named Teddy

• Teddy Marilyn Rothschild (b. 2017) daughter of Nicky Hilton and James Rothschild.
• Teddy Cadan (b. 2015) daughter of Lena Headey and Dan Cadan.
• Thaddeus Ann "Teddy" Bensimon daughter of reality TV's Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Gilles Bensimon

The name Teddy in Pop Culture

• Dr. Theodora "Teddy" Altman a character on TV's "Grey's Anatomy"
• Teddy Duncan character on TV's "Good Luck Charlie"
• Theodora Reed 'Teddy' a character on TV's "Sisters"