Head to head · Boys' names
August vs Theo
#81 vs #82 in 2025
August is a whisker ahead (#81 vs #82 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: August is back after a long quiet spell, Theo is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Theo has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, August leads 4 measures of 6; Theo leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: August #82, Theo #648 — August higher
- 1890s: August #105, Theo #612 — August higher
- 1900s: August #160, Theo #488 — August higher
- 1910s: August #182, Theo #578 — August higher
- 1920s: August #245, Theo #641 — August higher
- 1930s: August #309, Theo #755 — August higher
- 1940s: August #400, Theo #1024 — August higher
- 1950s: August #541, Theo #1241 — August higher
- 1960s: August #693, Theo #1396 — August higher
- 1970s: August #812, Theo #1479 — August higher
- 1980s: August #850, Theo #1488 — August higher
- 1990s: August #731, Theo #1584 — August higher
- 2000s: August #602, Theo #1188 — August higher
- 2010s: August #263, Theo #523 — August higher
- 2020s: August #110, Theo #109 — Theo higher
August stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Theo took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | August | Theo |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #82 | #648 |
| 1890s | #105 | #612 |
| 1900s | #160 | #488 |
| 1910s | #182 | #578 |
| 1920s | #245 | #641 |
| 1930s | #309 | #755 |
| 1940s | #400 | #1024 |
| 1950s | #541 | #1241 |
| 1960s | #693 | #1396 |
| 1970s | #812 | #1479 |
| 1980s | #850 | #1488 |
| 1990s | #731 | #1584 |
| 2000s | #602 | #1188 |
| 2010s | #263 | #523 |
| 2020s | #110 | #109 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
August
Not charting outside the US.
Theo
- Scotland#6
- England & Wales#12
- Canada#17
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
August
Venerable, majestic, exalted
From Latin augustus, an adjective of dignity connected to augere, 'to increase'. The eighth month takes its name from the same source.
augustus (Latin, 'venerable') → Augustus → August → Augusta
How it traveled
The Roman Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus in 27 BC, and the word — until then an adjective meaning venerable or consecrated — became a name and then an imperial style. Later emperors kept it, medieval clergy inherited it through saints named Augustine and Augustus, and continental Europe trimmed it down: German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian all settled on plain August.
Theo
'Gift of God' when it comes from Theodore; 'people' when it comes from Theobald or Theodoric
Theo sits at the meeting point of two unrelated words. Through Greek Theodoros it joins theos, 'god', with doron, 'gift' — the classic reading, 'gift of God'. But Dutch and German Theo just as often shortens Theobald or Theodoric, where the first element is Germanic theud, 'people' or 'tribe'. Both roads are real, and which one applies depends on the longer name behind it — or on nothing at all, if Theo is the whole name on the birth certificate.
Theodoros → Theodorus → Theodore → Theo
How it traveled
Theodoros was a common Greek name across the eastern Mediterranean and the Byzantine world, borne by early Christian saints and passed into Latin as Theodorus, then into English as Theodore. Separately, Germanic-speaking Europe had its own crop of theud- names — Theobald, Theodoric — which shortened to the same two syllables.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
August
AW-gust
Stress lands on the first syllable, exactly as in the month. The English adjective 'august' stresses the second (aw-GUST), which occasionally causes a moment's hesitation from readers meeting the name in print. German speakers say ow-GOOST.
- Gus — The most established short form, shared with Augustus and Gustav, and long used as a standalone given name in its own right.
- Auggie — Informal and mostly used with children; common in American families now.
- Augie — The older American spelling of the same nickname, more familiar to earlier generations.
- Gussie — An affectionate older form, used historically for both Augustus and Augusta.
Theo
THEE-oh
In English the th is the soft, breathy kind, as in 'thin'. Dutch, German and French speakers say it closer to TAY-oh, and Spanish and Italian speakers tend to reach for Teo — worth knowing if the family spans more than one language.
- Teddy — Used mainly when the full name on paper is Theodore; less natural if Theo is the legal name.
- Ted — The older English short form of Theodore, still in use among adults; also stands alone as a given name.
- Teo — Informal respelling, and the standard form in Italian and Spanish.
Who has carried each name
August
August Wilson (b. 1945) — Pulitzer-winning playwright of Fences
August Strindberg (b. 1849) — Father of modern Swedish drama
August Möbius (b. 1790) — The mathematician of the Möbius strip
Theo
Theo James (b. 1984) — The White Lotus and Divergent star
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose August if you want…
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 58% for Theo
Choose Theo if you want…
- a name on the way upup 90 places on the charts in five years
- a name that charts abroad tooTheo is on the national lists of Scotland, England & Wales and Canada
- a name that feels very nowTheo is climbing the charts fast
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
August
Strengths
- A spelling nobody has to be taught — it appears on every calendar and needs no repeating over the phone.
- Two ready-made short forms with centuries of use behind them: Gus and Auggie.
- The same spelling works in German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, so it travels without adjustment.
To consider
- It is a month, and people will ask whether the baby was born in it. Fine either way, but the question will come up more than once.
- The English word 'august' shifts its stress to the second syllable, so expect the occasional first-time mispronunciation from someone reading it rather than hearing it.
- For a girl, this exact spelling is heavily outnumbered by the boys, so forms and rosters will often assume a boy. Augusta and Augustine are the traditionally feminine relatives if that matters to you.
Theo
Strengths
- Short, phonetic and read correctly at first sight by most English speakers; almost nothing to spell out over the phone.
- Charts in Scotland, England and Wales, and Canada as well as the US — it crosses borders without changing shape.
- Works either as a complete name or as the everyday form of Theodore, Theodoric or Theobald, so the formal register is there if wanted.
To consider
- It is climbing quickly, and the pattern of that climb means classmates named Theo are likelier over the next decade than they have been so far.
- It sits close to Leo and to Theodore in sound; expect occasional mix-ups, and expect people to assume the birth certificate says Theodore.
- If you want Theodore on paper, decide early which name the family will actually use — households often drift, and the child ends up answering to both.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
August
30%chance August feels dated by 2040
August is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
Theo
58%chance Theo feels dated by 2040
Theo is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear August and Theo in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between August and Theo?
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both August and Theo — the same style, ranked by the same records.
August or Theo — the short answers
- Which is more popular, August or Theo?
- August, in 2025: August ranked #81 with 3,958 babies; Theo ranked #82 with 3,945 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, August or Theo?
- Theo. Over the last five years August moved up 74 places; Theo moved up 90 places.
- Which is the older name, August or Theo?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named August and Theo?
- About 48,000 people named August are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 32,500 people named Theo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Augusts or Theos in the classroom?
- August will almost certainly be the only one in school. Theo will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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