Given name
Theophil
“one who is loved by God”
Theophil is a variant of Theophilus. One Greek interpretation is “one who is loved by God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Theophil is a variant of Theophilus. One Greek interpretation is “one who is loved by God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Theophil is a variant of Theophilus. An origin associated with Theophilus is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Theophil through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 208
- 208 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,847 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,847 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 20 in 1915.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Theophil’s family of names
Theophil has a related form in Theophilus. In German usage, Theophil has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Teofil. In German usage, Theophil has a conventional equivalent in the French form Théophile.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Theophil has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 24
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Theophil
- Theophil HansenDanish architect (1813–1891)
- Théophile Rudolphe StuderSwiss zoologist (1845-1922)
- Theophil GroßgebauerGerman theologian1627–1661
- Theophil Joachim Heinrich BienertBaltic German pharmacist, botanist and entomologist (1833–1873)
- Theophil Bendella(1814-1875)
- Theophil WurmGerman Lutheran bishop (1868-1953)
- Theophil Spoerriwriter (1890-1974)
- Theophil Johann NoackGerman zoologist (1840–1918)
- Theophil RichterGerman Russian and Soviet composer (1872-1941)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Theophil, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Emil
“one who is eager; an industrious man”
>99% boys
Cyril
“a master or lord”
>99% boys
Vergil
“the staff-bearer”
>99% boys
Lovell
“having a soft spirit” · “resembling a young wolf”
92% boys · 8% girls
Einer
“a leading warrior”
>99% boys
Ruel
“friend of God” · “a friend of God”
>99% boys
Howell
“a distinguished or eminent man”
>99% boys
Einar
“a leading warrior”
>99% boys