Head to head · Boys' names
Henry vs Theodore
#5 vs #4 in 2025 · both climbing the charts fast
Theodore is a whisker ahead (#4 vs #5 in 2025) and both are climbing the charts fast. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote1 vote
Which one would you pick?
1 parent has voted — the split shows after you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Theodore leads 4 measures of 6; Henry 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: Henry #9, Theodore #77 — Henry higher
- 1890s: Henry #10, Theodore #83 — Henry higher
- 1900s: Henry #11, Theodore #41 — Henry higher
- 1910s: Henry #13, Theodore #60 — Henry higher
- 1920s: Henry #19, Theodore #64 — Henry higher
- 1930s: Henry #26, Theodore #77 — Henry higher
- 1940s: Henry #37, Theodore #98 — Henry higher
- 1950s: Henry #63, Theodore #118 — Henry higher
- 1960s: Henry #93, Theodore #148 — Henry higher
- 1970s: Henry #120, Theodore #182 — Henry higher
- 1980s: Henry #136, Theodore #208 — Henry higher
- 1990s: Henry #138, Theodore #278 — Henry higher
- 2000s: Henry #102, Theodore #300 — Henry higher
- 2010s: Henry #34, Theodore #130 — Henry higher
- 2020s: Henry #7, Theodore #10 — Henry higher
Henry stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Henry | Theodore |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #9 | #77 |
| 1890s | #10 | #83 |
| 1900s | #11 | #41 |
| 1910s | #13 | #60 |
| 1920s | #19 | #64 |
| 1930s | #26 | #77 |
| 1940s | #37 | #98 |
| 1950s | #63 | #118 |
| 1960s | #93 | #148 |
| 1970s | #120 | #182 |
| 1980s | #136 | #208 |
| 1990s | #138 | #278 |
| 2000s | #102 | #300 |
| 2010s | #34 | #130 |
| 2020s | #7 | #10 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Henry
- Canada#12
- England & Wales#14
- Scotland#88
Theodore
- Canada#3
- England & Wales#8
- Scotland#39
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Henry
Home ruler — from Germanic heim, "home," and ric, "ruler, power"
The sense is closer to "ruler of an estate or household" than to anything royal; the royal association came later, from the kings who bore it.
Haimirich → Henricus → Henri → Henry → Harry
How it traveled
The name begins as Germanic Haimirich, carried by Frankish and later German nobility, and Latinized in medieval documents as Henricus. Old French shaped it into Henri, and the Normans brought it to England after 1066, where it was written Henry but spoken Harry for centuries — which is why both survive today as separate names.
Theodore
gift of God
Greek theos, god, with doron, a gift. It was a common name in the Greek-speaking world from the second century onward and was given by Christian and pagan families alike, since the sentiment worked either way.
theos → Theodoros → Theodore
How it traveled
Theos is one of the most productive Greek roots in English and one of the words it built is genuinely startling. Enthusiasm is en-theos: having a god inside you.
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
Henry
HEN-ree
Two syllables, stress on the first, the same in American and British English. The French Henri (on-REE) and German Heinrich (HYNE-rikh) are pronounced quite differently, which is worth knowing if the name honors family in either language.
- Harry — The medieval English spoken form of Henry; now fully independent and given as a name on its own, so calling a Henry "Harry" reads as traditional rather than inventive.
- Hank — An American short form, informal, long associated with men of the mid-twentieth century and now used freely again.
- Hal — An old clipped form, used by Shakespeare for the young Henry V in the Henry IV plays; informal and less common today.
- Hen — Casual family shortening, mostly used at home rather than in introductions.
- Also Henny.
Theodore
THEE-uh-dor
Three syllables, stress on the first. Greek puts it on the third, theh-oh-DOR-os. Russian Fyodor is the same name after a millennium of sound change and looks nothing like it.
- Teddy — The warm form; the one that produced the bear and the one most Theodores answer to as children.
- Theo — The front; a full name of its own and used for either child.
- Ted — The plainest form; adult, and shared with Edward.
- Dore — The back half, used rarely and mostly in older records.
Who has carried each name
Henry
Henry Ford (b. 1863) — Put America on wheels with the Model T
Henry David Thoreau (b. 1817) — Walden's philosopher of simple living
Henry VIII of England (b. 1491) — The six-wives king who split England from Rome
Theodore
Theodore Roosevelt (b. 1858) — Youngest US president ever — the teddy bear is named after him
Theodore Dreiser (b. 1871) — Novelist of An American Tragedy
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 Henry if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesHenry is 2 syllables to Theodore's 3
Choose Theodore if you want…
- a name on the way upup 19 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itTheodore runs 3 syllables, Henry 2
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
Henry
Strengths
- Spelled one way and known everywhere in English — nobody will ask you to repeat it or write it down.
- An unbroken written record in England from the Norman Conquest onward, and continuous American use since record-keeping began.
- Three well-established short forms with different registers: Harry, Hank and Hal.
To consider
- It is in heavy use among babies right now and rising, so a Henry may well share a classroom or a soccer team with another one.
- Because Harry and Hank are so well established, other people may shorten the name for you. Worth deciding early which, if any, you want used.
- Henry VIII is the first Henry many people think of, and his reputation is what it is — though seven other English kings and a long line of American writers and inventors share the name.
Theodore
Strengths
- A settled Greek meaning that is a complete and cheerful statement.
- Four short forms at four different temperatures, from formal to affectionate.
- Recognizable in Greek, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian, though the Russian takes explaining.
To consider
- It is climbing hard at the moment, so a Theodore will not be the only one for long.
- Teddy is what most people will reach for, so it is worth liking the short form.
- The bear association is permanent and entirely benign, but it is not optional.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
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 Henry and Theodore 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 Henry and Theodore?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
- Transatlantic hits: loved on both sides of the ocean
- America's top 100 names right now
- Gorgeous — and about to be everywhere
- Names at their all-time peak, right now
- all guides
Every list here names both Henry and Theodore — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Henry or Theodore — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Henry or Theodore?
- Theodore, in 2025: Theodore ranked #4 with 13,355 babies; Henry ranked #5 with 12,020 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Henry or Theodore?
- Theodore. Over the last five years Henry moved up 4 places; Theodore moved up 19 places.
- Which is the older name, Henry or Theodore?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Henry and Theodore?
- About 393,000 people named Henry are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 205,000 people named Theodore are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Henrys or Theodores in the classroom?
- Roughly 1 in 6 classrooms will have a child named Henry. Roughly 1 in 5 classrooms will have a child named Theodore.
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
Keep playing
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