Given name & surname · also Greek, Germanic

Theobald

“of the courageous and bold people”

Theobald is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “of the courageous and bold people.”

Original GreekΘεοβάλδος

Meaning & origin

What it means

One German interpretation is “of the courageous and bold people.”

Where it comes from

This spelling has been associated with Germanic and Greek naming traditions.

How it developed

From Old French Theobald, from Proto-West Germanic *Þeudubalþ.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Theobald through the years

Babies since 1880
10
10 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
1916
5 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
0246192019401960198020002025Highest share 19160.0
Theobald in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1916–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1917. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,224 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Theobald’s family of names

In English usage, Theobald has a diminutive in TEBB. In English usage, Theobald has a surname derivative in DIBBEN. In German usage, Theobald has a conventional equivalent in the French form Thibault.

Walk Theobald’s family in the name graph

TheobaldThéobaldThibaultThibautThibaudTeobaldoTebbThienyTybaltTiboldTibaultTheoboldTybaldTieboutTyhaultTyhaltTeoTibbsTebowΘεοβάλδοςTibåDěpoltTiobóidDiepoldTheobaldus西奥博爾德Tiobaid

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Theobald has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.

EnglishFrenchMandarinAncient Greek

30 related names in 12 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Dots on the border stand for languages further away. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

See also 1

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

Similar names

If you love Theobald, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

German

Mayland

“milan”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

German

Adelaido

“shining with nobility”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

German

Hartzell

Hartzell is a surname from German.

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Latin

Voight

Voight is a surname from German, ultimately from Latin.

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Spanish · Old-fashioned

Ferdinand

“a courageous voyager”

24RareRising

>99% boys

German

Rector

Rector is a surname from German.

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Greek · Old-fashioned

Isadore

“a gift from the goddess Isis”

20RareEasing

80% boys · 20% girls

German · Old-fashioned

Willard

“a resolute and brave man”

31RareEasing

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Theobald’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Theobald

A sister for Theobald