Gender Masculine
Usage English
Meaning & History
From the Greek name [1] from Greek theos) meaning "god" and doron) meaning "gift" [2] [3] . The name Dorothea is derived from the same roots in reverse order. This was the name of several saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.This was a common name in classical Greece, and, due to both the saints who carried it and the favourable meaning, it came into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was however rare in Britain before the 19th century. Famous bearers include three tsars of Russia (in the Russian form Fyodor) and American president Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).
Related Names
Feminine FormTheodora
Other Languages & CulturesTewodros (Amharic) Theodoros, Theodorus (Ancient Greek) Toros (Armenian) Teodor, Todor (Bulgarian) Teodor, Teo (Croatian) Teodor, Theodor (Czech) Theo, Theodor (Danish) Theodoor, Theo, Theodorus (Dutch) Teuvo (Finnish) Théodore, Théo (French) Tedore (Georgian) Theodor, Theo (German) Theodoros (Greek) Tivadar, Tódor (Hungarian) Teodoro, Teo (Italian) Teodors (Latvian) Thei (Limburgish) Teodor, Todor, Toše, Toshe (Macedonian) Teodor, Theo, Theodor (Norwegian) Teodor (Polish) Teodoro, Téo (Portuguese) Teodor, Tudor, Dorel, Theodor, Tudorel (Romanian) Fedor, Feodor, Fyodor, Fedya (Russian) Teodor, Todor (Serbian) Teodor (Slovak) Teodor, Teo (Slovene) Teodoro, Teo (Spanish) Teodor, Theo, Theodor (Swedish) Fedir (Ukrainian)
Same SpellingThéodore
User SubmissionTheodore
Popularity
People think this name is
classic mature formal upper class wholesome strong refined strange complex serious
Images
Theodore Roosevelt (1904)Theodore Roosevelt (1904)
Sources & References
- Lexicon of Greek Personal Names, available from https://search.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/browse.html?facet-nymRef=Θεόδωρος.
- Liddell, Scott and Jones. An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, entry qeo/s, available from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0058%3Aentry%3Dqeo%2Fs.
- Liddell, Scott and Jones. An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, entry dw=ron, available from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0058%3Aentry%3Ddw%3Dron.
Categories
2020s A Song of Ice and Fire characters Alvin and the Chipmunks characters American Horror Story characters American presidents American vice presidents antipopes Ascendance of a Bookworm characters Atelier characters children of Thomas Arthur Green composers Dharma and Greg characters Disventure Camp characters divine gift Dynasty characters Elder Scrolls characters emperors Friends characters gift GOSICK characters Harry Potter characters literature Louisa May Alcott characters Madagascar characters martyrs Marvel characters Megami Tensei characters mentalists murderers never out of the US top 1000 Only Murders In The Building characters Orthodox saints painters paintings Path to Nowhere characters Phantasy Star characters popes Queer as Folk US characters Reign of the Seven Spellblades characters Robert A. Heinlein characters RWBY characters saints television The Blacklist characters The Four Hundred members The Sopranos characters The West Wing characters theophoric names top 10 in the US trendy US Catholic bishops Westworld characters Will and Grace characters William Faulkner characters world leaders YouTubers Ys characters
Entry updated May 26, 2026