One-of-a-Kind Baby Names Stand Out

Sibling Names: The Ultimate Guide

Most Popular British Names A to Z

Nicknames: The Ultimate Guide

Top Baby Names 2024 Revealed!

Best New Names In The Top 1000!

Gemini Baby Names Shine Bright

100+ Best Girl Names Below the Top 1000

100+ Best Boy Names Below the Top 1000

Top Baby Names 2024: The Playground Analysis

Are These the Best Baby Names Ever?

The Top Baby Names A-Z

12 Best Beachy Names for Girls

Greek Names for Girls: 21 unexplored ancient treasures

US vs UK Baby Names: How Do They Compare?

The Top Baby Names of 2025 Are Here!

Top Names in Each State Revealed!

Traditional Boy Names: The Ultimate Guide

Baby Name Trends 2025

Edwardian Names Ready to Revive

Brother Names

Best T Names for Girls

Names That Sound Smart

Ethiopian Names are Rooted in Tradition

Top Boys Name For Each Letter: a 130-year survey

These Are the Top Names of the 2020s So Far

100 Brilliant Boy Names in Translation

Twin Names: The Ultimate Guide

Cottagecore Baby Names Turn Back the Clock

Names That Let You Have It Both Ways

Nameberry's Top Names of 2024

The Most Popular Baby Names of the Future

The Top Global Names Right Now

Sibling for Theodore and Marjorie?

🌈 francesca "francie"?

Names to go with siblings

What could Luna be a nickname for?

Siblings for Bernadette Florence, Catherine Isabelle, and Alexander Robert?

--- help with boy names :blossom:

Name Help -- Birth Next Week!

Theodore

The name Theodore peaked for girls at #1415 in 1929. Theodore is also used for boys, ranking #4 in 2025.

The name Theodore is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God".

Greek Names

Greek Names for Boys

8 Letter Boy Names

Names Ending in E for Boys

Names That Mean God

Names That Mean Gift

Two Syllable Names for Boys

Names that Peaked in 1904

Names that Peaked in 2021

Boy Dog Names That Start With T

Boy Cat Names That Start With T

Dog Names That Start With T

Cat Names That Start With T

Names that Peaked in 2022

Names that Peaked in 2023

Greek Names that Start With T

Classic and elegant but with boyish charm, Theodore has become hit name in recent years, vaulting into the US Top 10 in 2021 for the first time ever and into the Top 5 in 2024. A favorite in English speaking countries, it also ranks highly across the UK and Ireland, and in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. 

Friendly nickname Theo may be responsible for some of that, though there are plenty of baby boys given Theo as their full name too. Add their numbers together along with those for Mateo and Teo, and they hands-down become the Number 1 boys' name.

Theodore and Mateo are far from interchangeable names, for sure, and some Theodores are called Teddy....or Theodore. But we predict an overwhelming number of little boys called Theo or Teo on American playgrounds over the coming years.

Theodore is a derivative of the Latin Theodorus, a variation of the Greek name Theodōros. The components are from the Greek words theos, meaning "God," and dōron, meaning "gift," giving Theodore the meaning "God-given" or "gift of God." Names with similar origins include Theodora, Dorothy, and Dorothea.
 
When Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901, the name Theodore was in the Top 40 <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boy names</a>, with Teds and Teddys everywhere. After some damaging stereotypes—the chubby Chipmunk Theodore and Beaver Cleaver's real name—Theodore went into a decline, from which it has definitely made a recovery, thanks in part to the popular and likable nickname Theo.
 Theodore has been the choice of several celebrities, including Ivanka Trump, Bryce Dallas Howard, Natascha McElhone, and Ali Larter, not to mention being the fictional son of Christian and Ana in Fifty Shades of Grey.
 The name has a distinguished history. In addition to being presidential, it was borne by novelist Dreiser, poet Roethke, and French painter Gericault, and it was the first name (spelled Theodor) of Dr. Seuss.
 Among the well-known Teds, baseball's Williams and musician Nugent were born Theodore, but Ted Turner was christened Robert, and Ted Kennedy and Ted Danson were originally Edward.
 The beloved character Laurie in Little Women was named Theodore Laurence.

Old Man Names Back in Style

Cat Names That Mean Miracle

Baby Names Headed for Harvard

Vintage Baby Names

Victorian Boy Names

Antique Baby Names Back in Style

Traditional Baby Names

Top 2010s Names

Nameberry's Top Boy Names of the 2010s

Fashionable Classic Baby Names

Most Common Boy Names

Catholic Baby Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

March Baby Names

Top 1900s Baby Names 

Classic Boy Names 

Papal Names

Old-Fashioned Cat Names

Top 2020s Baby Names

Vintage Boy Names 

Baby Boy Names 2021

Baby Name Favorites Right Now

Christian Names (With Meanings and Popularity)

Classic Names That Mean God

Trending Boy Names

Old-Fashioned Baby Names

The REAL Top Baby Names for Boys

November Baby Names

Cat Names

Victorian Names from the 1800s

Christmas Names

Celebrity Baby Names

October Baby Names

Old-Fashioned Boy Names

Old-Fashioned Names

Names That Mean Blessed

Scorpio Baby Names

Baby Names That Mean God

Presidential Baby Names

Jewish Names

Dog Names That Mean Miracle

Male Dog Names That Mean Blessing

Saint Names For Boys 

Classic Celebrity Baby Names

Ancient Greek Names

Telegraph Baby Names 

Confirmation Names for Boys (with Meanings and Definitions)

Dog Names

Serious Names

Celebrity Baby Boy Names

Best Boy Names That Mean God

Trendy Celebrity Baby Names

Three Syllable Boy Names

Boy Names Always in the Top 1000

Top 100 Boy Names 2024

Names That Mean Gift from God

Saint Names

Jewish Boy Names

Greek

Nameberry

Canada

Future

England

scotland

Ireland

Australia

New Zealand

The name Theodore is currently ranked #4 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #4 in 2024. The name is most popular in THEODORE, THEODORE, and THEODORE. Theodore is occasionally used for girls in 2025.

Fyodor

Tudor

Theo

Theodore

Theodore Rank in US Top 1000

The name Theodore in Nameberry Blog Posts

The name Theodore in Nameberry Forums

More Lists containing Theodore

Advanced Search

Advanced Search

Find your type.

The Nameberry App Is Live

The Nameberry App Is Live