Head to head · Boys' names
Tadeo vs Travis
#427 vs #434 in 2025
Tadeo is a whisker ahead (#427 vs #434 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Tadeo is climbing the charts fast, Travis is stepping back from its peak.
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: Tadeo and Travis 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: Tadeo —, Travis #657 — Travis higher
- 1890s: Tadeo —, Travis #695 — Travis higher
- 1900s: Tadeo —, Travis #565 — Travis higher
- 1910s: Tadeo —, Travis #420 — Travis higher
- 1920s: Tadeo —, Travis #378 — Travis higher
- 1930s: Tadeo —, Travis #308 — Travis higher
- 1940s: Tadeo —, Travis #330 — Travis higher
- 1950s: Tadeo —, Travis #368 — Travis higher
- 1960s: Tadeo #4136, Travis #228 — Travis higher
- 1970s: Tadeo —, Travis #52 — Travis higher
- 1980s: Tadeo #6081, Travis #42 — Travis higher
- 1990s: Tadeo #7023, Travis #66 — Travis higher
- 2000s: Tadeo #3306, Travis #158 — Travis higher
- 2010s: Tadeo #1229, Travis #254 — Travis higher
- 2020s: Tadeo #522, Travis #379 — Travis higher
Travis stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Tadeo | Travis |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #657 |
| 1890s | — | #695 |
| 1900s | — | #565 |
| 1910s | — | #420 |
| 1920s | — | #378 |
| 1930s | — | #308 |
| 1940s | — | #330 |
| 1950s | — | #368 |
| 1960s | #4136 | #228 |
| 1970s | — | #52 |
| 1980s | #6081 | #42 |
| 1990s | #7023 | #66 |
| 2000s | #3306 | #158 |
| 2010s | #1229 | #254 |
| 2020s | #522 | #379 |
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
Tadeo
Debated — either "heart" or a short form of a Greek name meaning "gift of God"
Two serious readings compete. One traces Greek Thaddaios to an Aramaic root connected with the breast or heart. The other treats it as a Greek pet form of a name like Theodoros or Theodotos, both built on the idea of a gift from God. Neither has won, and the ancient sources do not settle it.
Thaddaios → Thaddaeus → Taddeo → Tadeo
How it traveled
The name begins as Greek Thaddaios, the byname given to one of the twelve apostles — the figure called Thaddaeus in Matthew and Mark, and known in Spanish as San Judas Tadeo. Latin took it as Thaddaeus, and from there each language reshaped it: Taddeo in Italy, Tadeusz in Poland, Tadeo in Spanish.
Travis
from a crossing or a toll
An occupational surname from Norman French, describing a man stationed at a river crossing or a barrier. The word behind it is the same one that gives English traverse.
traverse → Travers → Travis
How it traveled
The most repeated story about him should be treated carefully. Every Texan schoolchild learns that he drew a line in the sand with his sword and asked the men who would stay to step across it.
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
Tadeo
tah-DEH-oh
Stress on the middle syllable in Spanish. English speakers who meet it cold sometimes try TAD-ee-oh; one correction usually fixes it, since every letter is doing the job it looks like it is doing.
- Teo — The most natural short form in Spanish, and a standalone given name in its own right.
- Tadeito — Spanish diminutive, used affectionately within families rather than at school.
- Tad — The English-language clipping, shared with Thaddeus; used more by English speakers than Spanish ones.
- Tade — An informal two-syllable trim heard among Spanish speakers.
Travis
TRAV-iss
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The spelling gives no trouble and the name is never mispronounced.
- Trav — The front alone; brisk, informal and by far the commonest short form.
- Vis — The back used alone; unusual and rarely heard outside families.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Tadeo if you want…
- a name on the way upup 275 places on the charts in five years
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Teo, Tadeito and Tad
- a newer arrivalTadeo entered the US charts in 1968
Choose Travis if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsTravis is stepping back from its peak
- a long American recordTravis 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
Tadeo
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds in both Spanish and English — no silent letters, no h to explain, unlike the English Thaddeus.
- Has a ready-made short form in Teo, which works on its own and travels easily between languages.
- A documented line back to Greek and Latin, and living forms in Italian, Polish, Czech and French.
To consider
- It is climbing quickly. A child born now may find the name noticeably more common among younger kids by the time they finish school than it is among their older cousins.
- Outside Texas, California and Illinois, expect to spell it out and to hear TAD-ee-oh occasionally before people settle into tah-DEH-oh.
- Neighboring spellings exist — Thadeo, Taddeo, Thaddeus — so forms and rosters will sometimes come back altered.
Travis
Strengths
- The spelling and the sound agree completely with nothing to explain.
- Trav is a short form that sounds entirely current.
- It carries a specific and identifiable history rather than a vague one.
To consider
- Its peak generation is recent enough to date the name to a decade.
- The historical association is regional and very strong in one state.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Tadeo
55%chance Tadeo feels dated by 2040
Tadeo 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.
Travis
40%chance Travis feels dated by 2040
Travis 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 Tadeo and Travis 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 Tadeo and Travis?
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.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
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
Every list here names both Tadeo and Travis — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Tadeo or Travis — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Tadeo or Travis?
- Tadeo, in 2025: Tadeo ranked #427 with 753 babies; Travis ranked #434 with 732 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Tadeo or Travis?
- Tadeo. Over the last five years Tadeo moved up 275 places; Travis moved down 97 places.
- Which is the older name, Tadeo or Travis?
- Tadeo entered the US charts in 1968; Travis was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Travis is the older name.
- How many people are named Tadeo and Travis?
- About 5,800 people named Tadeo are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 283,000 people named Travis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Tadeos or Traviss in the classroom?
- Tadeo will almost certainly be the only one in school. Travis 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
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Tadeo, Travis and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap