Theodore, often shortened to Theo, is of Greek origin and means 'gift of God'. It was borne by several early saints and martyrs, including Theodore of Tarsus, who became Archbishop of Canterbury in the 7th century. In English-speaking countries, Theodore has historically been a popular boys' name but has seen resurgence as a girls' name in recent years.
The name Theodore saw a peak in popularity around World War I, with the highest number of births recorded in 1917 (20 births). However, it began to decline steadily post-WWII, reaching its lowest point in recent years with only 5 or 6 births recorded annually between 1983 and 2022. Overall, there were a total of 1136 Theodore births from 1902 to 2022.