Given name & surname · also French
Theodore
“God”·“gift”·“gift of God”
Theodore carries the Greek meaning “gift of God,” with early Christian use behind its long naming history.
Original GreekΘεόδωρος
Meaning & origin
What it means
The name combines “God” and “gift,” giving the meaning “gift of God.”
Where it comes from
Theodore reached English through French from the Greek name Theodoros.
How it developed
Its Greek elements are theos, meaning “god,” and doron, meaning “gift.” French forms provided the route into English.
The story
Theodore was popular among early Christians and was borne by several saints. That religious history helps explain the name’s spread into different European forms.
Theodore through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 318,175
- 317,206 boys · 969 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 13,362 babies
- 2025
- 13,362
- #4 for boys · #13,074 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +65%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13,355 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 65.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (1,211). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 141,175 as a first name in 2020; 4,389 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.
Theodore’s family of names
In English usage, Theodore has a diminutive in Ted. Theodore has a feminine form in Theodora. In English usage, Theodore has a conventional equivalent in the Esperanto form Teodoro.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Theodore has relatives in 27 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Theodore comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 38
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΘεόδωροςGreek, Ancient Greek
- Théodorecognate · French
- Theodorafeminine form · English
- Theodoroscognate · English
- Fedorequivalent
- Fyodorcognate
- Feodorequivalent
- Tewodrosrelated form
Show 30 moreShow fewer
- Fjodorequivalent
- Fiodorequivalent
- Fedirequivalent
- Ѳеодоръequivalent
- Фетелъequivalent
- Teyodoreequivalent
- Ѳедореequivalent
- ܬܐܘܕܘܪܘܣequivalent
- Федірequivalent
- Божидарequivalent
- ቴዎድሮስequivalent
- Deodoroequivalent
- Þeodorusequivalent
- Tódorequivalent
- ФеодорRussian
- ТеодорRussian
- ФёдорRussian
- BožidarUpper Sorbian
- Fiódorequivalent
- ФёдарBelarusian
- TeodorasLithuanian
- Tivadarcognate · Hungarian
- ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥCoptic
- TodhërAlbanian
- TeuvoFinnish
- TeodorsLatvian
- TuudorEstonian
- ТодорMacedonian
- Todoscognate
- Theodoorcognate
See also 10
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Thaddeussee also
- Terrysee also
- Eddyalso known as · English
- Bogdansee also
- Nedalso known as · English
- Neddyalso known as · English
- Tudursee also
- Teodosiosee also
Show 2 moreShow fewer
People named Theodore
- Theodore Roosevelt26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909 (1858–1919)
- Theodore DreiserAmerican novelist and journalist (1871–1945)
- Theodore William RichardsUnited States chemist (1868–1928)
- Theodore SchultzAmerican economist (1902–1998)
- Theodore von KármánHungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist (1881–1963)
- Theo JamesBritish actor and musicianborn 1984
- Scott GlennAmerican actorborn 1941
- Theodore SturgeonAmerican speculative fiction writer (1918–1985)
- Theodore MaimanAmerican physicist/Inventor of first working laser1927–2007
Characters named Theodore: Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell (character on American television series Prison Break), Ted Kord (superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Theodore, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“conquering” · “one who prevails; the conquerer”
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Phillip
“one who loves horses”
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“a powerful and wealthy spearman”
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“God is gracious”
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Clayton
“from the town settled on clay”
>99% boys