Theodore (given name)

Theodore is a masculine given name. It comes from the Ancient Greek name Θεόδωρος (Theódoros), meaning "gift of God(s)" (from the Ancient Greek words θεός, (theós) "God/Gods" and δῶρον (dṓron) "gift". The name was borne by several figures in ancient Greece, such as Theodorus of Samos and Theodorus of Byzantium, but gained popularity due to the rise of Christendom.

In any form, it means "God(s)-given", or "gift of God/Gods", as do the given names Jonathan, Nathaniel, Matthew, Hibatullah, Devadatta, Dosetai, Bogdan, Божидар, Diosdado, Dieudonné, and Adeodatus.

The name has risen in popularity across the Anglosphere during the 2010s and 2020s. The character Ted Mosby on the popular American sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which aired from 2005 to 2014, might have influenced increased usage of the name. Modern parents more often use the diminutive Theo than Ted. Theodore was among the five most popular names for White newborn boys in the American state of Virginia in 2022. It has been among the ten most popular names for newborn boys nationally in the United States since 2021. It has been a similarly popular name for boys in Canada. The feminine form of Theodore is Theodora. The names Dorothy and Godiva also mean "gift of God(s)". In German, Theodore is the feminine form and the masculine form is Theodor.

Although similar to, and probably influenced by it, the Germanic name Theodoric (and variants Theodoricus, Dietrich, Thierry, and others) has a separate origin. It's also similar to Doris, another Greek origin given name.