Name meaning & stats
Theodor
Theodor means “gift of God”. 1,831 US babies since 1940, peak 2022. Notable Theodors are 2.1× over-represented as professors.
What it means
“gift of God”
Spelling of Theodore
Theodore around the world
- Теодор · Russian
- Теодор · Ukrainian
- Τίοντορ · Greek
- ثيودور · Arabic
- תאודור · Hebrew
- セオドア · Japanese
- 西奥多 · Chinese
- Theodor · Finnish
- Theodorus · Dutch
- Théodore · French
Famous Theodores
- Theodore Roosevelt · 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909 (1858–1919)
- Theodore Dreiser · American novelist and journalist (1871–1945)
- Theodore William Richards · United States chemist (1868–1928)
- Theodore Schultz · American economist (1902–1998)
In US birth records
Peak year: 2022
1,831 US babies were named Theodor between 1940 and 2025.
Theodor around the world
- Norway: 5,414 babies since 1945, peak 2024, No. 11 in 2025
- Sweden: 5,841 babies since 1998, peak 2010, No. 43 in 2022
- Ireland: 47 babies since 1964, peak 2020, No. 552 in 2025
- England & Wales: 800 babies since 1996, peak 2021, No. 606 in 2025
- Belgium: 124 babies since 1995, peak 2017, No. 725 in 2025
- France: 365 babies since 1900, peak 2023, No. 1,665 in 2025
From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.
Where Theodors end up
| Career | vs expected | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Professor | 2.1× | Medium · 23 people |
| Politician | 0.9× | Medium · 16 people |
| Footballer | 0.8× | Medium · 12 people |
| Writer | 1.1× | Low · 8 people |
Among notable men who are professors, Theodors show up 2.1× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.
Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.
Other spellings
1 in 126 Theodores spell it Theodor
Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.
Name twins (peaked around 2022)