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“Gift of God” — Ancient Greek via Latin origin
Boy's name · #4 in the US (2025) · Comeback
Theodore was #30 in 1904, slipped to #314 by 1999, and reached #4 in 2024 and has held it since. About 317,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Theodore's short forms are Ted, Teddy, Theo, Tedd, and Teddie. About 3,800 boys a year are given Theo as their full name.
Around the world: #3 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #3 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #3 in Canada (2024) · #5 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #5 in New Zealand (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states, the #1 boy's name in 1 of them. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 1,944 notable people named Theodore:
Lawyers & judges appear 2.13× more often than among typical names — e.g. Theodore Balsamon, Byzantine legal scholar and Greek-Orthodox patriarch of Antioch.
Similar names: Theo · Leo · Oliver · Jack · Elias · Levi
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