Theo
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Theo
See the popularity graph below for the name Theo? It's been heading straight uphill since 2010, when it hopped back onto the Top 1000 after a 60+ year absence.
Theo for boys#82 US
Now in the Top 100 in this form, Theo's popularity is even wider given its common use as a nickname for Theodore, which made the Top 10 for the first time in 2022. This might be the generation of Theos.
Theo's newfound popularity extends far beyond the US and the rest of the English-speaking world. It's currently a Top 100 name in Germany, Brazil, Scandinavia, and beyond, as well as being a popular choice for pets.
Theo first made an impact as the name of the only son on "The Cosby Show," earlier it was associated with Vincent van Gogh's supportive brother Theo.
Theo for girls#5894 US
Most commonly used as a short form of Theodora or Theodosia, this "boyish" nickname for girls is used much less frequently than Thea, Dora, or Teddy. One notable appearance however, was as the younger daughter in Sofia Coppola's film On the Rocks in 2020, while antiques expert, Theo Burrell was a real life bearer.
Given to 21 girls compared to more than 3900 boys in the US in a recent year, you may be surprised to learn that Theo was a Top 1000 name for girls from 1880 until 1930, and while some of this may have been down to errors in record keeping, this is unlikely to explain the 111 girls called Theo in 1924 or the 109 girls given the name in 1919.
With Scottie, Bennie, Stevie, and Davey on the rise for girls, alongside Margo, Cleo, Juno, and Theodora, perhaps you may hear of more girls called Theo in the future.
Pronounced THEE-oh.
As of October 2026, Theo ranked #82 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #78 in 2023, Nameberry popularity #87.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #509 | 550 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #406 | 765 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #354 | 952 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #290 | 1,232 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #243 | 1,554 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #195 | 2,018 | #4,533 | 31 |
| 2020 | #172 | 2,225 | #3,489 | 44 |
| 2021 | #142 | 2,703 | #2,708 | 64 |
| 2022 | #98 | 3,639 | #3,271 | 50 |
| 2023 | #78 | 4,137 | #3,700 | 42 |
| 2024 | #80 | 4,110 | #4,537 | 31 |
| 2025 | #82 | 3,945 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Theo on lists
Famous Theos
- Theodorus "Theo" van GoghBoy
Dutch art dealer; brother of Vincent van Gogh
- John Theodore "Theo" RossiBoy
American actor
- Theo James (born Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis)Boy
English actor
- Theo Nathaniel EpsteinBoy
American baseball team president
- Theoren Wallace "Theo" FleuryBoy
Canadian ice hockey player
- Theo BosBoy
Dutch cyclist
- Theo David HutchcraftBoy
English singer of duo Hurts
- Theophalus Curtis "Theo" RatliffBoy
American professional basketball player
- Theo Vonkurnatowski aka Theo VonBoy
actor and reality TV personality
- Theo James WalcottBoy
English footballer
- Theo SarapoBoy
French actor and singer
- Theo DahlBoy
son of author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal
- Theo EllisBoy
English musician of band Wolf Alice; son of actors Christine Kavanagh and Jack Ellis
- Theo HoranBoy
nephew of singer Niall Horan
- Theo DarbyBoy
son of actor Rhys Darby
- Theo Marven (b. 2002)Boy
son of TV presenter Nigel Marven
- Theo Hall (b. 2010)Boy
son of TV chef Ilan Hall
- Theo Payne (b. 2012)Boy
son of singer Dougie Payne of Travis and actress Kelly MacDonald
- Theo Scholles Lima (b. 2014)Boy
son of singer Sandy and Lucas Scholles Lima
- Theo Nathanson (b. 2016)Boy
son of model Nicole Linkletter and Adam Nathanson
- Theodore James "Theo" Kushner (b. 2016)Boy
son of businesswoman/TV personality Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
- Theo LedinBoy
Swedish DJ, son of rock musician Tomas Ledin and music publisher Marie Anderson
Theo in pop culture
- Theodore "Theo" HuxtableBoy
character on TV's "The Cosby Show"
- Theodore "Theo" KojakBoy
character on TV's "Kojak"
- Theo FaronBoy
main character in the film Children of Men
- Theo DeckerBoy
main character in "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt
- Theo SipowiczBoy
character on TV's "NYPD BLUE"
- Theo RaekenBoy
character on Teen Wolf
- TheoBoy
main character in Bernardo Bertolucci film "The Dreamers"
- Theo PutnamBoy
character in the Netflix original "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"
- TheoGirl
Scary Movie 2 played by Kathleen Robertson
- Theodora "Theo" CrainGirl
The Haunting of Hill House