Boy name · Greek
Theodore
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: gift of GodTheodore 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
| 1880s | 1,986 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 2,016 per million |
| 1900s | 4,781 per million |
| 1910s | 3,162 per million |
| 1920s | 2,839 per million |
| 1930s | 2,362 per million |
| 1940s | 1,763 per million |
| 1950s | 1,437 per million |
| 1960s | 1,105 per million |
| 1970s | 821 per million |
| 1980s | 648 per million |
| 1990s | 519 per million |
| 2000s | 529 per million |
| 2010s | 2,155 per million |
| 2020s | 6,328 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.

