Head to head · Girls' names
Sol vs Theodora
#722 vs #725 in 2025
Sol is a whisker ahead (#722 vs #725 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Sol is climbing the charts fast, Theodora is holding its place on the charts.
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
The tape is even: Sol and Theodora each lead 3 measures of 6.
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: Sol —, Theodora #671 — Theodora higher
- 1890s: Sol —, Theodora #643 — Theodora higher
- 1900s: Sol —, Theodora #619 — Theodora higher
- 1910s: Sol —, Theodora #605 — Theodora higher
- 1920s: Sol —, Theodora #565 — Theodora higher
- 1930s: Sol —, Theodora #658 — Theodora higher
- 1940s: Sol —, Theodora #653 — Theodora higher
- 1950s: Sol #5132, Theodora #965 — Theodora higher
- 1960s: Sol #4334, Theodora #1345 — Theodora higher
- 1970s: Sol #4030, Theodora #2086 — Theodora higher
- 1980s: Sol #5798, Theodora #2377 — Theodora higher
- 1990s: Sol #4937, Theodora #2755 — Theodora higher
- 2000s: Sol #2611, Theodora #3386 — Sol higher
- 2010s: Sol #2020, Theodora #2144 — Sol higher
- 2020s: Sol #924, Theodora #762 — Theodora higher
Theodora stood higher in 13 of 15 decades; Theodora took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Sol | Theodora |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #671 |
| 1890s | — | #643 |
| 1900s | — | #619 |
| 1910s | — | #605 |
| 1920s | — | #565 |
| 1930s | — | #658 |
| 1940s | — | #653 |
| 1950s | #5132 | #965 |
| 1960s | #4334 | #1345 |
| 1970s | #4030 | #2086 |
| 1980s | #5798 | #2377 |
| 1990s | #4937 | #2755 |
| 2000s | #2611 | #3386 |
| 2010s | #2020 | #2144 |
| 2020s | #924 | #762 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Sol
"Sun" in Latin, Spanish and Portuguese — though a second, separate Sol means something else entirely
Two different names share this spelling. The Spanish and Portuguese Sol is the ordinary word for the sun, and also serves as the short form of Marisol and Soledad. The English and Yiddish Sol is a clipped form of Solomon (Hebrew Shlomo, from shalom, "peace") and sometimes of Saul. Which meaning a particular Sol carries depends on which family gave it.
Latin sol → Spanish Sol → Soledad / Marisol → Sol
How it traveled
Latin sol passed into the Romance languages as the plain word for the sun, and Spanish speakers have long used it as a given name in its own right, as well as the short form for Soledad and Marisol — a pattern still strong in Argentina and across Latin America. On a separate track, Norse mythology names the sun Sól, a figure recorded in the medieval Icelandic Eddas.
Theodora
Gift of God
From Greek theos, "god", and dōron, "gift" — the same pairing found, in reverse order, in Dorothea.
Theodōros → Theodōra → Theodora
How it traveled
The name is Greek: theos and dōron joined into Theodōra, the feminine of Theodōros. It spread with Greek-speaking Christianity and became a name of the Byzantine court — most famously the empress Theodora, wife of Justinian I, whose portrait in mosaic still stands in Ravenna.
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
Sol
SOHL
One syllable, rhyming with goal. In Spanish the vowel is shorter and purer than in English, closer to a clipped SOL. Expect an occasional mishearing as Saul or Sal over the phone.
- Sol — Already the short form of Soledad, Marisol, Solange, Solomon and Saul; used as a full given name in its own right in all of those traditions.
- Solly — Informal, long attached to the Solomon line; still heard among older bearers.
- Sole — Informal Spanish alternative, mostly where the full name is Soledad.
- Solita — Spanish diminutive, affectionate and family-level rather than everyday.
Theodora
thee-uh-DOR-uh
Four syllables with the stress on the third. Some speakers say thee-oh-DOR-uh, keeping the Greek theo- intact; both are accepted and neither needs correcting.
- Thea — The most common short form in current use, and long established as an independent given name of its own.
- Teddy — Informal; shared with Theodore, so it is used for boys and girls alike.
- Dora — Taken from the end of the name rather than the start; also stands alone as a given name, and is more familiar to older generations.
- Theo — Informal, and increasingly used on its own; overlaps heavily with Theodore.
- Also Teddie, Dodie.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Sol if you want…
- a name on the way upup 502 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesSol is 1 syllable to Theodora's 4
- a newer arrivalSol entered the US charts in 1953
Choose Theodora if you want…
- a name holding steadyTheodora is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itTheodora runs 4 syllables, Sol 1
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Thea, Teddy and Dora
- a long American recordTheodora was already in use when US records began in 1880
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
Sol
Strengths
- Three letters, one syllable, and no spelling ambiguity — it is written the way it sounds in English, Spanish and Portuguese alike.
- Works both as a full name and as the established short form of Soledad, Marisol, Solange and Solomon, so a longer formal name can be added later or not at all.
- A documented record in two separate traditions — Spanish-speaking families and Jewish American families — meaning it is familiar to a lot of people without being common.
To consider
- It is a word before it is a name — the sun in Spanish, a musical note in solfège, the currency of Peru. Most Sols find that unremarkable, but it does mean the name gets recognized rather than asked about.
- In English it sounds identical to "soul" and close to "sole," which invites the occasional pun and a certain amount of spelling-it-out over the phone.
- The two roads run in different directions: in Spanish-speaking contexts Sol reads clearly as a girl's name, while the older American Sol was almost always a man named Solomon. Either way, some people will guess wrong before they meet the child.
Theodora
Strengths
- An unbroken written record going back to the Greek-speaking Mediterranean, with a meaning that is settled and easy to state.
- Several ready-made short forms — Thea, Teddy, Dora, Theo — spanning formal and casual registers.
- The same spelling works in Italian, Spanish and Polish, and the name is recognizable across most of Europe.
To consider
- Four syllables is a lot to say, and it will often be shortened by others before it is shortened by you. Worth liking at least one of the nicknames.
- Teddy and Theo are shared with Theodore and are heard more often on boys, so a Theodora who goes by either may be asked to clarify.
- It sits low enough in current use that a Theodora will likely be the only one in her school — good for distinctiveness, occasionally tiring when a name needs repeating.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Sol
55%chance Sol feels dated by 2040
Sol 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.
Theodora
40%chance Theodora feels dated by 2040
Theodora sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
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 Sol and Theodora 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 Sol and Theodora?
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 head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Three-letter names: tiny and complete
- Borrowed from the boys: names girls are winning
- One-syllable names: said in a single beat
- Celestial names: written in the stars
- all guides
Where Sol and Theodora each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Sol or Theodora — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Sol or Theodora?
- Sol, in 2025: Sol ranked #722 with 389 babies; Theodora ranked #725 with 384 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Sol or Theodora?
- Sol. Over the last five years Sol moved up 502 places; Theodora moved up 110 places.
- Which is the older name, Sol or Theodora?
- Sol entered the US charts in 1953; Theodora was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Theodora is the older name.
- How many people are named Sol and Theodora?
- About 4,000 people named Sol are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 7,800 people named Theodora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Sols or Theodoras in the classroom?
- Sol will almost certainly be the only one in school. Theodora will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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