Theo

Fact-checked by Rebekah Wahlberg

Written by Tahirah Blanding

In this article

Theo name meaning and origin

What does Theo mean?

"Gift from God" or "bold people"

Theo name origins:

Greek or Germanic

Theo originates as a nickname for Theodore, a Greek name combining the words theos, meaning "god," and doron, meaning "gift" to give it the meaning "gift from God."

It can also find origins as a diminutive of the Germanic name Theobald, meaning "bold people." In this case, Theo would come from the "people" part of the name, as theod is an Old High German word meaning "people."

Theo has an interesting history of popularity in the United States: It ranked in the top 1,000 boys' names from 1900 until 1945, then disappeared and came back in 2010. It broke into the top 100 names in 2022, at No. 99.

Sources:

Hanks P., et al. 2016. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198610601.001.0001/acref-9780198610601-e-3061?rskey=BLTTIM&result=7021

U.S. Social Security Administration. Undated. Popular Baby Names. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

Popularity over time

Data not available

Theo in pop culture

Name	Description
Theodore "Theo" Decker	Main character in novel The Goldfinch, played by Ansel Algort in the film adaptation
Theo Raeken	Character from the MTV television drama Teen Wolf, portrayed by Cody Christian
Theodore "Theo" Saville	Character in the TV show A Million Little Things, played by Tristan Byon and Lance Lim

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Famous people named Theo

Name	Description
Theo Albrecht	German billionaire, founder of food store chain Aldi, and former owner of Trader Joe's
Theodor "Theo" Seuss Geisel	American author known by the pen name Dr. Seuss
Theo Ratliff	American professional basketball player

Names similar to Theo

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Baby name lists including Theo

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