Boy name · Greek
Theo
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: gift of GodTheo is a boy's name that comes from Greek and means "gift of God". It is used in English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Greek and French.
- Meaning
- Gift of God
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- THEE-oh
Meaning and origin of Theo
As a boy's name, Theo comes from Greek and means "gift of God". It is used in English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Greek and French. In French it is spelled Théo.
Say it THEE-oh. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Theo on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Theo on 5 lists.
“Thoughtful, gentle and modern”
From Nicknames for ChatGPT, human-sounding names for an AI assistant
“Short for Theodore, Greek for gift of God”
From Boy cat names, classic boy cat names
“Gift of God; Greek, a short form with big charm. Say THEE-oh”
From Cute boy names, short and cute boy names
“Soft, sweet and bright, a modern favorite”
From Cute dog names, cute boy dog names
“Gift of God; Greek, short for Theodor. Third in Germany in 2025”
From German boy names, popular German boy names
How popular is Theo?
- US rank in 2025
- #82
- 3,945 babies, 2,310 per million boys
- Best rank
- #78 in 2023
- 4,140 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 35,830
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 85 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 103 per million |
| 1900s | 166 per million |
| 1910s | 107 per million |
| 1920s | 89 per million |
| 1930s | 64 per million |
| 1940s | 30 per million |
| 1950s | 18 per million |
| 1960s | 17 per million |
| 1970s | 23 per million |
| 1980s | 29 per million |
| 1990s | 31 per million |
| 2000s | 69 per million |
| 2010s | 436 per million |
| 2020s | 2,006 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #354 | #290 | #243 | #195 | #172 | #142 | #98 | #78 | #80 | #82 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Theo
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
Names spelled like Theo
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- TaeoGreat enlightenment (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- TheronHunter (Greek, boy)
- ThorThunder (Old Norse, boy)
- TaehoGreat and vast (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- TanoFrom Gaeta (Latin, boy)
- TaoGreat waves (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- TaroBig son; eldest son (Japanese, boy)
- TavoPet form of Gustavo (Spanish, boy)
- ThaboJoy, happiness (Sotho, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- DoraGift (Greek, girl)
- DorotheaGift of God (Greek, girl)
- IsadoraGift of Isis (Greek, girl)
- MatthiasGift of God (Hebrew, boy)
- DoroteaGift of God (Greek, girl)
- EudoraGood gift (Greek, girl)
- FeodoraGift of God (Greek, girl)
- HeliodoraGift of the sun (Greek, girl)
- HeliodoroGift of the sun (Greek, boy)
- JessePossibly gift, or existence (Hebrew, boy)
Middle names for Theo
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Greek
- AlexanderDefender of men (Greek, boy)
- LucasMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- ChristianFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
- LeonA lion (Greek, boy)
- HectorHolding fast (Greek, boy)
- AlexisHelper, defender (Greek, boy)
- LucaMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- SebastianMan of sebaste, venerable (Greek, boy)
- AlexDefender, protector (Greek, unisex)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
Theo: common questions
What does the name Theo mean?
Theo comes from Greek and means "gift of God".
Is Theo a boy or girl name?
Theo is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 21 girls and 3,945 boys in the US were named Theo, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Theo come from?
Theo comes from Greek and means "gift of God". Today it is used in English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Greek and French.
How do you pronounce Theo?
Say THEE-oh. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How popular is the name Theo?
Theo ranked #82 in the US in 2025, with 3,945 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Theo?
Forms of Theo with the same meaning and origin include Fyodor (Russian), Tadros (Arabic), Teddy (English), Teodor (Polish) and Teodoro (Spanish).
What middle names go with Theo?
Middle names that flow well with Theo include Alton, Bernard, Brooks, Jonah and Mitchell. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

