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Theo as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Theo

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The baby name Theo is a Boy name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced THEE-oh.

Theo is Greek in Origin.

Gender: Boy
Syllables: 2
Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: THEE-oh

What is the meaning of the name Theo ?

The baby name Theo is a boy name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced THEE-oh.

Theo is Greek in Origin.

Theo is chiefly an independent short form of Theodore, whose earliest recoverable form is Ancient Greek Theódōros (Θεόδωρος). The compound joins theós, god, with dōron, gift, so its literal sense is gift of god. As a clipped name, Theo preserves the first element and two-syllable opening of Theodore rather than functioning as the Greek noun theós on its own.

Theodorus was the usual Latin form in late antique records, helping the name spread across Europe; vernacular forms include French Théodore, German Theodor, Italian Teodoro, Slavic Fyodor, and Téo. Theo has long served as a familiar form in Dutch, German, and English usage, attached to figures such as Dutch art dealer Theo van Gogh. In the United States it re-entered the Top 1000 in 2010 and rose into the Top 100 by the 2020s, alongside renewed use of Theodore; it also ranks highly in Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia.

Theo has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Theo

Theodosius I Politician · Born 347 · Ancient Rome Theodosius I, also known as Theodosius the Great, was a Roman Emperor who is most famous for making Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire. He ruled from 379 to 395 AD and was the last emperor to govern both the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire. His reign marked a significant turning point in the history of Christianity and the Roman state. Theodoric the Great Royal · Born 454 · Western Roman Empire Theodoric the Great was a king of the Ostrogoths who became famous for establishing the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. He ruled from 493 to 526 AD and is known for his efforts to preserve Roman culture and infrastructure while maintaining peace between Goths and Romans. Theodosius II Politician · Born 401 · Byzantine Empire Theodosius II was a Byzantine Emperor, most famous for his long reign from 408 to 450 AD. He is known for the Theodosian Walls and the Theodosian Code, which organized Roman laws. His rule saw significant developments in the Byzantine Empire's legal and architectural achievements.
Theo van Gogh Actor · Born 1952 · Kingdom of the Netherlands Theo van Gogh is the name of several notable people, most famously the Dutch art dealer who supported his brother Vincent van Gogh. It can also refer to others with the full name Theodore or Theodorus van Gogh. Theo James Actor|musician · Born 1984 · United Kingdom Theo James is an English actor and producer best known for playing Tobias Eaton, also known as Four, in The Divergent Series. He was born Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis on 16 December 1984 and gained wide recognition through Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. Theuderic II Royal · Born 587 Theuderic II was a Merovingian king, most famous for ruling over Burgundy and Austrasia during the early 7th century. He was the grandson of the legendary Frankish king, Clovis I, and played a significant role in the complex dynastic politics of his time.

Theo – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
Germany Boys 2025 #1 — 423
Switzerland Boys 2024 #14 187 1,769
Austria Boys 2024 #16 366 60
BW 0 #16 4 960
Canada Boys 2024 #17 896 2,588
Sweden Boys 2022 #17 426 1,509
Norway Boys 2025 #21 232 444
NA 0 #24 10 2,537
BF Boys 0 #26 1 439
ID 0 #38 2 2,238
NL Boys 0 #42 10,158 5,873
BI Boys 0 #44 1 917
BW Boys 0 #46 128 4,685
CY 0 #49 11 1,632
CM 0 #52 5 2,592
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
LU 0 #65 2 2,830
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
United States Boys 2024 #79 4,110 7,044
CN 0 #84 3 3,857
JM 0 #90 4 3,714
GR 0 #95 40 3,911
NA Boys 0 #100 150 6,830
CY Boys 0 #101 29 3,473
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
BW Girls 0 #105 44 4,216
NL 0 #105 404 2,481
PH 0 #105 6 5,607
GE Girls 0 #107 2 1,564
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
ID Boys 0 #119 13 4,130
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
EE Boys 0 #122 4 2,087
CY Girls 0 #124 2 3,755
GR Boys 0 #124 167 6,912
BN Boys 0 #138 2 6,332
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
ZA 0 #138 353 14,421
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
ZA Boys 0 #155 4,135 25,619
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
HU Boys 0 #169 6 3,954
MT Boys 0 #171 9 4,064
LU Boys 0 #173 46 4,970
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
RU 0 #193 2 3,641
JM Boys 0 #194 79 6,876
DK 0 #200 7 5,198
NA Girls 0 #203 22 7,146
MO Boys 0 #209 15 5,842
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
BG Boys 0 #217 4 3,850
GH 0 #218 26 5,396
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
TW Boys 0 #226 16 7,111
AO Boys 0 #229 14 5,568
GH Boys 0 #229 122 8,138
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
EC Boys 0 #242 5 3,322
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
NG 0 #255 10 5,926
HR Boys 0 #256 4 3,997
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
SG 0 #275 8 11,010
Canada Girls 2024 #278 8 2,795
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
JP Boys 0 #285 13 7,909
Germany Boys 0 #287 1,349 5,697
CM Boys 0 #289 331 12,054
Finland Boys 2026 #289 866 3,552
TW Girls 0 #289 1 8,139
DK Boys 0 #291 35 7,401
KZ Boys 0 #291 6 6,578
CZ Boys 0 #292 13 6,530
CN Boys 0 #293 27 9,639
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
SA 0 #308 5 10,560
GH Girls 0 #313 12 6,973
PE 0 #324 6 6,350
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
PL Boys 0 #333 8 6,459
HK 0 #336 13 8,483
GT 0 #337 2 5,948
MU Boys 0 #338 20 8,477
Austria Boys 0 #342 101 2,180
QA Girls 0 #343 1 15,378
PT Boys 0 #345 23 7,951
MY 0 #348 7 12,352
PH Boys 0 #348 36 11,440
France Boys 2021 #350 38 2,865
BR 0 #354 7 5,969
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
UY Boys 0 #370 30 5,922
Germany 0 #371 67 2,542
Finland Boys 0 #373 55 2,041
JO Boys 0 #386 4 7,057
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
HK Boys 0 #411 120 12,905
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
AR Boys 0 #420 48 7,628
OM Girls 0 #423 2 15,987
PH Girls 0 #428 2 13,098
CL 0 #429 6 6,867
Spain 0 #442 11 2,326
MX 0 #442 4 8,339
GT Boys 0 #451 24 7,625
SD Boys 0 #458 9 10,523
BR Boys 0 #466 331 12,213
CR Boys 0 #468 20 10,188
CO 0 #470 11 7,768
RU Boys 0 #487 19 12,621
PA Boys 0 #500 6 9,305
PA Girls 0 #516 3 9,861
RU Girls 0 #521 3 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
CM Girls 0 #529 12 11,671
PS Boys 0 #533 16 10,655
IR Boys 0 #535 18 10,162
UY Girls 0 #536 1 6,731
PS Girls 0 #547 1 10,981
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
KW Girls 0 #558 4 19,177
BO Boys 0 #567 26 9,244
CR Girls 0 #573 1 11,342
BH 0 #583 5 17,937
IL Boys 0 #587 21 10,983
AE Girls 0 #597 1 20,968
BD Boys 0 #601 5 10,045
CL Boys 0 #611 55 13,390
LB 0 #621 38 13,263
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
SG Girls 0 #629 4 18,916
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
HK Girls 0 #646 5 16,104
SG Boys 0 #648 50 17,960
BO Girls 0 #649 3 9,488
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
NG Boys 0 #660 318 16,906
ZA Girls 0 #663 583 25,928
IT 0 #682 33 4,183
IQ Boys 0 #689 9 13,071
QA Boys 0 #690 18 18,093
Finland Girls 2026 #732 7 3,895
KW Boys 0 #759 11 18,755
NG Girls 0 #767 20 15,093
PE Boys 0 #780 99 14,506
Spain Boys 0 #799 132 5,610
Germany Girls 0 #818 21 4,949
TN 0 #819 11 13,765
CO Boys 0 #826 95 15,656
OM Boys 0 #865 17 17,948
EG Boys 0 #871 16 15,035
United States Girls 2024 #886 31 8,487
NL Girls 0 #887 69 5,933
MX Boys 0 #890 93 16,355
CL Girls 0 #911 5 14,098
PE Girls 0 #932 12 14,861
MY Girls 0 #980 15 24,821
BR Girls 0 #985 8 12,708
EG Girls 0 #1,001 9 14,742
SA Girls 0 #1,008 7 25,931
IT Boys 0 #1,030 451 10,046
IN Boys 0 #1,035 5 16,750
MY Boys 0 #1,035 77 25,439
AE Boys 0 #1,042 51 22,615
CO Girls 0 #1,069 10 16,140
MA 0 #1,095 34 20,986
DZ 0 #1,161 16 20,130
TR 0 #1,188 24 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,259 9 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,419 28 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,572 43 28,008

Theo is popular in 84 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
Canada
Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
Sweden

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Theo

Theo is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Theo is a 2 syllable name, pronounced THEE-oh.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Theódōros, Theodore, Theodorus, Theodor, Teodor and Teodoro.
Yes, very popular — Theo ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 13 countries.
Theo ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Yes — 11 notable people named Theo are in our database, including Theodosius I (Politician), Theodoric the Great (Royal), Theodosius II (Politician).