Teddy

Teddy: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “gift of God”
Origin: Greek
Say it: TED-ee · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (95% of all uses)

Pet form of Theodore, from Greek Theodoros. It is also used for Edward in English, but as an independent given name it is most often associated with Theodore.

English names American names Names meaning gift Names meaning faith Short names Classic names

How popular is Teddy?

202492.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Teddy in 2024307

2024 rank#897 boys

Peak year1933

Total US babies since 188035,040

Teddy is rising: use over the last five years is 3.4× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Teddy

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Theodoregift of God · Greek
Theodoragift of God · Greek
Sebastianfrom Sebaste · Greek
Alexanderdefender of men · Greek
Lukefrom Lucania · Greek
Christopherbearer of Christ · Greek
Angelmessenger · Greek
Andrewmanly, brave · Greek

Teddy questions

What does the name Teddy mean?

Teddy means "gift of God". It comes from Greek. Pet form of Theodore, from Greek Theodoros. It is also used for Edward in English, but as an independent given name it is most often associated with Theodore.

Is Teddy a boy or girl name?

Teddy is mainly a boy's name in US records (95% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Teddy?

307 US babies were named Teddy in 2024. Its peak year was 1933.

How do you pronounce Teddy?

Teddy is usually pronounced TED-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.