UK boy's name
Theodore
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "gift from God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Theodore is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Theodore popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #8, with 2,761 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 2,889 births.
This profile covers 30,211 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 96% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 31,318 living people in the UK are called Theodore. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Theodore ranked #8 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 2,761 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 2,889 boys were registered as Theodore.
- • Theodore ranks best in South West in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #4 in 2024.
- • About 31,318 living people in the UK are estimated to have Theodore as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#8
2024
Births in 2024
2,761
Latest year
Peak year
2021
2,889 births
Estimated living
31,318
2026
Meaning
What does Theodore mean?
The name Theodore originates from the Greek language and dates back to ancient times. It is derived from the words "theos" meaning "God" and "doron" meaning "gift", thus translating to "gift of God". The name was popular in ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire.
One of the earliest known references to the name Theodore can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, where it mentions a man named Theodore who was among the Seventy Disciples sent out by Jesus Christ. The name also appears in various Greek and Byzantine texts and historical records.
The first recorded example of the name Theodore can be traced back to the 4th century AD, with Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428 AD), a renowned theologian and bishop in the early Christian church. Another notable figure from this era was Theodore the Studite (759-826 AD), a Byzantine monk, abbot, and writer who played a significant role in the revival of monasticism in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In the Middle Ages, the name Theodore gained popularity across Europe. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the 26th President of the United States, known for his leadership during the Progressive Era and his conservation efforts.
Other notable individuals with the name Theodore include Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945), an American novelist and pioneer of naturalism in literature, and Theodore Geisel (1904-1991), better known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, the beloved children's author and illustrator.
In the realm of science, Theodore von Kármán (1881-1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics and the development of the modern air transportation industry.
The name Theodore has also been borne by many rulers and monarchs throughout history, such as Theodore I (1589-1655), the Solomonic Emperor of Ethiopia, and Theodore II (1818-1868), the last Emperor of the Abyssinian Empire.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Theodore over time
The chart below shows babies named Theodore registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Theodore, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 2,761 births in 2024, compared with 2,889 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Theodore by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Theodore was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #10 | 13,888 | 5 |
| 2010s | #67 | 12,651 | 10 |
| 2000s | #157 | 3,004 | 10 |
| 1990s | #196 | 668 | 4 |
Geography
Where Theodore is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Theodore. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Theodore ranks best in South West in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #4 in 2024.
Across the UK
Theodore in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#36 in 2024
32 years of NRS records, 894 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#32 in 2024
17 years of NISRA records, 396 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Theodore
-
Theodore Zeldin
historian; university teacher; sociologist
English academic
1933-
-
Theodore Schurch
military personnel
British Nazi collaborator (1918-1946)
1918-1946
-
Theodore Zichy
photographer; aircraft pilot; playboy; film director; film actor; film producer; racing automobile driver
British actor, photographer, film director, producer and playboy
1908-1988
-
Theodore William Moody
historian; researcher; university teacher
Irish historian (1907–1984)
1907-1984
-
Theodore Silverstein
military personnel; medievalist; academic
American Medieval Literature professor
1904-2001
-
Theodore Tylor
chess player
chess player, knighted for services to the blind (1900–1968)
1900-1968
-
Theodore Veale
military personnel
British soldier (1892–1980); recipient of the Victoria Cross
1892-1980
-
Theodore William Chaundy
mathematician
British mathematician (1889-1966)
1889-1966
Related
Names similar to Theodore
- Thomas 160,894
- Tyler 42,147
- Theo 40,594
- Toby 32,482
- Tommy 25,300
- Teddy 20,781
- Taylor 14,354
- Tobias 13,102
- Tom 9,822
- Tristan 9,171
- Timothy 6,200
- Travis 5,202
FAQ
Theodore: questions and answers
How popular is the name Theodore in the UK right now?
In 2024, Theodore was ranked #8 for boys in England and Wales, with 2,761 births registered.
When was Theodore most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 2,889 babies registered as Theodore in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Theodore?
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "gift from God".
How many people are called Theodore in the UK?
A total of 30,211 babies have been registered as Theodore across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 894 more in Scotland and 396 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Theodore most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Theodore ranks best in South West, where it placed #4 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.