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Boy name · Greek

Theodore

Name meaning, origin and popularity

: gift of God

Theodore is a boy's name that comes from Greek and means "gift of God". It is used in English.

Meaning
Gift of God
Origin
Greek
Gender
Boy
US rank
#4 in 2025

Meaning and origin of Theodore

As a boy's name, Theodore comes from Greek and means "gift of God". It is used in English.

Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names

Theodore on Nomezo lists

What our editors wrote about Theodore on 6 lists.

  • “Greek for gift of God, with Theo for short”

    From Boy dog names, distinguished names for gentleman dogs

  • “Gift of God; Greek. Long vintage favorite”

    From Boy middle names, long middle names for short first names

  • “Gift of God; Greek. Teddy or Theo for short”

    From Classic boy names, royal and noble boy names

  • “Greek for 'gift of God'”

    From Priest names, priestly names from Latin, Greek and Hebrew

  • “Real first name of the boy in Leave It to Beaver”

    From Beaver names, famous beaver names

  • “Gift of God; Greek. Teddy, Theo or Ted for short”

    From Old man names, grandpa names coming back for babies

How popular is Theodore?

US rank in 2025
#4
13,355 babies, 7,819 per million boys
Best rank
#4 in 2024
Most babies: 13,355 in 2025
Babies since 1880
At least 317,206
Years with under 5 are not listed
1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
Babies per million US boys, by decade (the 2020s so far, to 2025). Highest in the 2020s, at 6,328 per million.
Babies named Theodore per million US boys, by decade; highest in the 2020s
1880s1,986 per million
1890s2,016 per million
1900s4,781 per million
1910s3,162 per million
1920s2,839 per million
1930s2,362 per million
1940s1,763 per million
1950s1,437 per million
1960s1,105 per million
1970s821 per million
1980s648 per million
1990s519 per million
2000s529 per million
2010s2,155 per million
2020s6,328 per million
US rank by year
Year2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Rank#83#61#44#36#23#10#10#7#4#4

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.

Nicknames for Theodore

Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.

  • Theocommon English nickname
  • Teda short form of Edward or Theodore
  • TeddyTed + -y

Other forms of Theodore

The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.

  • FyodorGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • TadrosGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • TeddyGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • TeodorGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • TeodoroGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • TheoGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • TheodorGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • TheodorosGift of God (Greek, boy)
  • ThodorisGift of God (Greek, boy)

Names spelled like Theodore

One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.

  • TheodoricRuler of the people (Gothic, 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 Theodore

Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.

  • CedarFragrant evergreen tree (English, boy)
  • DeanFrom a surname meaning valley (Old English, boy)
  • FinnFair, white (Irish Gaelic, boy)
  • GlennValley (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
  • HughHeart, mind (Germanic, boy)
  • JohnGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
  • KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
  • WyattBrave in war (Old English, boy)

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)
  • PeterRock, stone (Greek, boy)
  • SebastianMan of sebaste, venerable (Greek, boy)
  • AlexDefender, protector (Greek, unisex)

Theodore: common questions

What does the name Theodore mean?

Theodore comes from Greek and means "gift of God".

Is Theodore a boy or girl name?

Theodore is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 7 girls and 13,355 boys in the US were named Theodore, according to Social Security Administration data.

What are nicknames for Theodore?

Common nicknames for Theodore include Theo, Ted and Teddy.

How popular is the name Theodore?

Theodore ranked #4 in the US in 2025, with 13,355 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

What are other forms of Theodore?

Forms of Theodore with the same meaning and origin include Fyodor (Russian), Tadros (Arabic), Teddy (English), Teodor (Polish) and Teodoro (Spanish).

What middle names go with Theodore?

Middle names that flow well with Theodore include Cedar, Dean, Finn, Glenn and Hugh. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.