Baby Name of the Day: Theodore

The baby name Theodore belongs to a US president, a singing chipmunk, and more and more baby boys with every passing year.

Thanks to Katharine for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME THEODORE MEAN?

Long before a chipmunk ever sang on television, the baby name Theodore was well-established.

In fact, it stretches back to pre-Christian times, making the animated rodent more of a footnote than a defining figure.

In started out as the Greek name Theodoros. Theo refers to god; doron means gift – gift of God. It became Theodorus in Latin. Theodora is the feminine form, and Dorothea and Dorothy are cousins, with the same elements reversed.

The name was in heavy use in the ancient world, worn by a pioneering sixth century BC architect and a fourth century BC mathematician.

The first saint appears around the 400s AD. There’s a seventh century Byzantine military leader. Add in a pair of popes and the rulers of Naples, Russia, Corsica, Ethiopia, Antioch, and Montferrat and this was a widely known name well before the nineteenth century.

No surprise that it appears in nearly every European language, with variations from the Italian Teodoro to the Russian Fyodor to the Scandi and Slavic Teodor and beyond.

19th CENTURY FAVORITE

In English, the baby name Theodore initially failed to catch on. It wasn’t popular until the 1800s, when those creative Victorians finally discovered Theodore.

The name features in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women series. Love interest “Laurie” is actually Theodore Laurence. He marries Amy March. Older sister Jo later names one of her sons Theodore, called Teddy, after her brother-in-law. Published in 1886, Little Women sequel Jo’s Boys focused on the lives of several next generation family members, including Teddy.

Nineteenth and early twentieth century notables by the name include:

• Impressionist painter Theodore Robinson and early French Romantic painter Théodore Géricault lend the name some artistic flair. So does Prussian-born illustrator Theodore Jasper, known for his renderings of birds.
• Writers like novelist Theodore Dreiser and American poet Theodore Roethke remain widely read today.
• The 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt – popularly known as Teddy – is one of the more readily recognized figures in American history. (It’s said he personally disliked the nickname, preferring to be called Colonel or T.R.)

CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND CHIPMUNKS

Born in 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel is best known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss. 

While his work also included political cartoons and animation work for for the United States Army during World War II, Seuss devoted the bulk of his career to playful, thoughtful children’s books, writing and illustrating enduring favorites. Titles include 1957’s The Cat in the Hat, 1957’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and 1971’s The Lorax. 

In 1958, Ross Bagdasarian recorded a novelty Christmas song, creating a trio of singing chipmunks: Alvin, Simon, and Theodore Seville.

All three characters were named for executives at Bagdasarian’s record label. By 1959, the sweater-wearing trio were appearing in a comic strip. And by 1961, they had their first television show. They’ve been updated and revised over the years, changing and adapting to try new musical styles and cinematic adventures.

TED, TEDDY and THEO

Many an older Theodore answers to the nickname Ted.

Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Willams was born Theodore, and have a number of other public figures.

Teddy feels both older and fresher. A handful of figures, like 1970s television actor Teddy Wilson, have worn the name over the years.

Today Teddy fits with cuddly nickname names like Charlie.

THEO ON TELEVISION

Smash hit 1980s series The Cosby Show introduced America to the Huxtable family. Dad Cliff, mom Clair, and five children living in a picture-perfect Brooklyn brownstone. 

Today it’s hard to think about the show without considering the later revelations about creator and star Bill Cosby. But back in the 1980s, The Cosby Show was the dominant television sitcom, an inescapable part of American culture. It was wholesome, serious, funny, fashionable, and focused on an upper-middle class African-American family, something that hadn’t really been part of television before.

The couple’s five children included adorable youngest daughter Rudy, breakout star and second daughter Denise, and only son, Theo, played by Malcolm-Jamal Warmer.

Television fans might know that Theodore belonged to another famous sitcom character – 1950s Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, the young star of Leave It To Beaver. While the show ran from 1957 through 1963, it reached a new generation on re-runs in the 1980s. 

Even at peak popularity, neither series impacted the popularity of the baby name Theodore. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME THEODORE?

US popularity data begins in 1880. The baby name Theodore sat solidly in the Top 100 during those early years.

President Roosevelt’s 1901 swearing catapulted the name into the Top 50 during his tenure in office.

The name reached peak popularity during the first decade of the 1900s, reaching #30 in 1904. It remained in the US Top 100 into the 1940s. 

By the turn of the 21st century, Theodore fell to an all-time low, hovering around the #300 mark. 

Pop culture to the rescue. The early 21st century also gave us:

• In 2006, blockbuster family comedy Night at the Museum featured Robin Williams as a wax statue of President Theodore Roosevelt himself, come to life. Sequels followed.
• Fiction gave us John Grisham’s adolescent aspiring lawyer, Theodore Boone. 
• Television introduced figures like The Walking Dead’s T-Dog. 
• Prison Break’s Theodore Bagwell, played by Robert Knepper, was a villain – and a major part of the successful series, following its 2005 debut. 

The baby name Theodore trended for other reasons. Part of it was the appeal of o-ending nickname Theo. 

Some is attributable to our love for longer, popular boy names. Oliver and Sebastian, Alexander and Benjamin all succeeded in the early 2000s. 

Theodore broke into the Top 200 in 2012, and the Top 100 in 2015.

By 2021, the baby name Theodore soared into the US Top Ten for the first time ever, ranking #10.

As of 2024, it is still among the most popular boys names, ranking a sky-high #4. Theo as an independent name ranks #80. 

ENDURING CLASSIC NAME

All of this makes the baby name Theodore the ultimate comeback classic.

From ancient days to more recent American history, notable Theodores are plentiful. Nicknames Theo and Teddy make it a versatile choice. It’s serious and stylish.

It’s easy to see why parents are wild about this traditional, on-trend name.

What do you think of the baby name Theodore? 

This post was published originally on October 24, 2008. It was substantially revised and re-posted on November 4, 2013; August 15, 2018; December 21, 2022; and June 28, 2025.