Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys
Origin: FrenchIn Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Theodore yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.
Theodore's 2024 count of 12,011 is its highest ever, and the 272% rise over the past decade is the largest ten-year gain of any name in this batch by a wide margin — a genuine breakout rather than a gradual climb, going from a niche choice to the #4 boys' name in barely more than ten years.
The name has been present in SSA data since 1880 but spent nearly all of that history well outside the top ranks, making its recent jump unusually steep for a name with no single obvious trigger — no blockbuster character or celebrity baby tied to the surge that the data can confirm.
Its nickname options (Theo, Teddy) likely help explain part of the appeal: a formal, old-fashioned full name that still offers a soft, casual short form, a combination that several other currently rising names (Theodore, Sebastian to a lesser extent) share and that seems to be a stronger predictor of growth right now than the formal name's sound alone.
Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.
→ See names similar to Theodore · Compare Theodore with another name → · Popular names of the 2020s · Boys names starting with T
Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 232 | #70 |
| 1881 | 178 | #79 |
| 1882 | 232 | #75 |
| 1883 | 185 | #81 |
| 1884 | 211 | #81 |
| 1885 | 199 | #84 |
| 1886 | 258 | #69 |
| 1887 | 201 | #82 |
| 1888 | 249 | #80 |
| 1889 | 231 | #76 |
| 1890 | 190 | #89 |
| 1891 | 224 | #76 |
| 1892 | 239 | #83 |
| 1893 | 209 | #90 |
| 1894 | 241 | #82 |
| 1895 | 208 | #93 |
| 1896 | 241 | #84 |
| 1897 | 215 | #85 |
| 1898 | 281 | #75 |
| 1899 | 252 | #78 |
| 1900 | 429 | #61 |
| 1901 | 450 | #43 |
| 1902 | 642 | #34 |
| 1903 | 663 | #36 |
| 1904 | 834 | #30 |
| 1905 | 834 | #33 |
| 1906 | 688 | #38 |
| 1907 | 712 | #38 |
| 1908 | 643 | #47 |
| 1909 | 595 | #51 |
| 1910 | 692 | #54 |
| 1911 | 753 | #56 |
| 1912 | 1,561 | #52 |
| 1913 | 1,650 | #60 |
| 1914 | 1,929 | #64 |
| 1915 | 2,504 | #64 |
| 1916 | 2,641 | #65 |
| 1917 | 2,809 | #63 |
| 1918 | 3,143 | #64 |
| 1919 | 3,424 | #54 |
| 1920 | 3,219 | #63 |
| 1921 | 3,172 | #65 |
| 1922 | 3,216 | #62 |
| 1923 | 3,157 | #62 |
| 1924 | 3,225 | #65 |
| 1925 | 3,226 | #63 |
| 1926 | 3,129 | #63 |
| 1927 | 3,124 | #62 |
| 1928 | 2,917 | #66 |
| 1929 | 2,902 | #65 |
| 1930 | 2,958 | #67 |
| 1931 | 2,667 | #70 |
| 1932 | 2,674 | #67 |
| 1933 | 2,611 | #68 |
| 1934 | 2,523 | #74 |
| 1935 | 2,433 | #79 |
| 1936 | 2,219 | #87 |
| 1937 | 2,315 | #86 |
| 1938 | 2,361 | #84 |
| 1939 | 2,196 | #90 |
| 1940 | 2,306 | #90 |
| 1941 | 2,330 | #95 |
| 1942 | 2,665 | #91 |
| 1943 | 2,616 | #96 |
| 1944 | 2,574 | #96 |
| 1945 | 2,347 | #101 |
| 1946 | 2,612 | #101 |
| 1947 | 2,927 | #102 |
| 1948 | 2,830 | #104 |
| 1949 | 3,041 | #100 |
| 1950 | 2,960 | #99 |
| 1951 | 3,217 | #99 |
| 1952 | 3,268 | #100 |
| 1953 | 2,937 | #112 |
| 1954 | 3,073 | #115 |
| 1955 | 2,977 | #120 |
| 1956 | 2,955 | #119 |
| 1957 | 2,760 | #132 |
| 1958 | 2,503 | #140 |
| 1959 | 2,399 | #146 |
| 1960 | 2,382 | #149 |
| 1961 | 2,301 | #151 |
| 1962 | 2,316 | #146 |
| 1963 | 2,386 | #142 |
| 1964 | 2,169 | #152 |
| 1965 | 2,141 | #143 |
| 1966 | 1,905 | #149 |
| 1967 | 1,854 | #149 |
| 1968 | 1,887 | #149 |
| 1969 | 1,945 | #153 |
| 1970 | 1,829 | #160 |
| 1971 | 1,665 | #166 |
| 1972 | 1,422 | #174 |
| 1973 | 1,342 | #175 |
| 1974 | 1,268 | #180 |
| 1975 | 1,197 | #189 |
| 1976 | 1,174 | #189 |
| 1977 | 1,223 | #194 |
| 1978 | 1,212 | #195 |
| 1979 | 1,238 | #198 |
| 1980 | 1,194 | #206 |
| 1981 | 1,133 | #218 |
| 1982 | 1,191 | #207 |
| 1983 | 1,156 | #206 |
| 1984 | 1,069 | #213 |
| 1985 | 1,211 | #201 |
| 1986 | 1,257 | #200 |
| 1987 | 1,217 | #206 |
| 1988 | 1,238 | #211 |
| 1989 | 1,293 | #216 |
| 1990 | 1,231 | #233 |
| 1991 | 1,097 | #251 |
| 1992 | 1,092 | #259 |
| 1993 | 1,036 | #277 |
| 1994 | 940 | #291 |
| 1995 | 956 | #284 |
| 1996 | 905 | #294 |
| 1997 | 956 | #291 |
| 1998 | 983 | #291 |
| 1999 | 913 | #314 |
| 2000 | 934 | #312 |
| 2001 | 935 | #306 |
| 2002 | 975 | #300 |
| 2003 | 964 | #309 |
| 2004 | 1,005 | #313 |
| 2005 | 1,095 | #299 |
| 2006 | 1,133 | #295 |
| 2007 | 1,137 | #301 |
| 2008 | 1,139 | #294 |
| 2009 | 1,239 | #276 |
| 2010 | 1,333 | #259 |
| 2011 | 1,573 | #230 |
| 2012 | 1,945 | #194 |
| 2013 | 2,429 | #167 |
| 2014 | 3,228 | #126 |
| 2015 | 4,155 | #99 |
| 2016 | 4,910 | #83 |
| 2017 | 5,970 | #61 |
| 2018 | 7,088 | #44 |
| 2019 | 7,894 | #36 |
| 2020 | 8,637 | #23 |
| 2021 | 9,597 | #10 |
| 2022 | 10,814 | #10 |
| 2023 | 11,084 | #7 |
| 2024 | 12,011 | #4 |
