Theo

Theo: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “god”
Origin: Greek
Say it: THEE-oh · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (90% of all uses)

Short form of Greek names such as Theodore ('gift of God') and Theobald in some traditions. As an independent name, Theo reflects the Greek element theos.

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How popular is Theo?

20241,244 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 Theo in 20244,141

2024 rank#80 boys

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 188035,340

Theo is rising: use over the last five years is 11.2× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Theo

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Theodoregift of God · Greek
Sebastianfrom Sebaste · Greek
Alexanderdefender of men · Greek
Lukefrom Lucania · Greek
Christopherbearer of Christ · Greek
Angelmessenger · Greek
Andrewmanly, brave · Greek
Georgefarmer, earth-worker · Greek

Theo questions

What does the name Theo mean?

Theo means "god". It comes from Greek. Short form of Greek names such as Theodore ('gift of God') and Theobald in some traditions. As an independent name, Theo reflects the Greek element theos.

Is Theo a boy or girl name?

Theo is mainly a boy's name in US records (90% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Theo?

4,141 US babies were named Theo in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Theo?

Theo is usually pronounced THEE-oh.

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.