BabyNameScore

Name profile

Theodore

masculine

91First-name usabilityHighly workable
Evidence coverageHigh

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Greek theophoric compound name Theodoros, from theos ('god') and doron ('gift'), meaning 'gift of god'; entered English via Latin Theodorus.

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Why it works

  • English speakers will almost certainly pronounce it correctly on the first try

What to know

pronunciation varies somewhat by language — see "How it travels" for the specifics

Popularity

Very Popular — #4 in the latest U.S. ranking.

Meaning and origin

Theodore means Gift of God.

Currently reads as a strong, classic-yet-fashionable choice in the US and UK, part of the broader revival of vintage/formal boys' names (alongside names like Henry and Arthur) that nonetheless offer a soft modern short form (Theo).

Documented origin: Greek theophoric compound name Theodoros, from theos ('god') and doron ('gift'), meaning 'gift of god'; entered English via Latin Theodorus.

VerifiedDirectly documented by an independent source, with no competing account on file.

How it travels

English and Turkish are shown by default; German is included when it adds a meaningfully different reading.

EnglishTHEE-uh-dorresearched pronunciation
TurkishEnglish reading conventions often soften or drop a trailing "-e"; Turkish is pronounced letter-by-letter, so Turkish speakers are likely to voice that final syllable clearly where English speakers may not.deterministic phonetic analysis
GermanEnglish reading conventions often soften or drop a trailing "-e"; German is pronounced letter-by-letter, so German speakers are likely to voice that final syllable clearly where English speakers may not.deterministic phonetic analysis

Spelling stability: high — based on letter-pattern analysis, not a documented linguistic fact.

Also documented

THEE-uh-dor (US), IPA /ˈθiːədɔːr/

THEE-uh-daw (British non-rhotic), IPA /ˈθɪəˌdɔː/

Popularity without panic

Very Popular — #4 in the latest U.S. ranking.

One of the most recognized names in recent U.S. data — instantly familiar.

Full-name check

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No account required. Your report gets a private, unlisted link — it's never added to Theodore's public name page, and surnames are never shown publicly.

Real-world considerations

  • Very Popular — #4 in the latest U.S. ranking.
  • Spelling note: Can be confused with the German/Scandinavian cognate spelling Theodor (no final 'e') or the French Théodore (with accent)..
  • The compound etymology itself (theos + doron) is not in serious dispute across the sources checked. The main uncertainty is more about specific historical bearers and dates in the very long list of historical Theodores (e.g., various Byzantine-era Theodorus figures) — this profile does not attempt to verify every individual historical bearer's biography, only the name's core etymology and its major, well-documented modern associations.
Explore alternatives
Theo

Documented as a related name or variant form.

Theodora (feminine form)

Documented as a related name or variant form.

Dorothy (same root elements reversed)

Documented as a related name or variant form.