Theodora
Feminine · “Gift of God”
Theodora is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 12,654 girls against 49 boys since 1880.
Theodora is the Greek Θεοδώρα, built from the same two words the ancient world used for "god" and "gift" — a name already old when it was carried by the empress who ruled beside Justinian in sixth-century Constantinople. It has four unhurried syllables and a stress that lands in the middle, and it has been quietly available in English for centuries without ever being crowded.
How old is the name Theodora?
Theodora was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Theodora alive today was born around 1957, making them about 68 years old. About 7,800 people named Theodora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Theodora most popular?
Theodora peaked in 1885, reaching #500 nationally. Today it ranks #725, 225 places below that high. See the whole 1885 chart.
Theodora appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From Theodōros to Theodora
The story of Theodora
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. Latin carried the spelling west unchanged, Slavic languages reshaped the opening sound into Feodora, and English took it up as the formal, four-syllable partner to Theodore. It has been continuously in use in American records for as long as such records have been kept.
Meaning
Gift of God
From Greek theos, "god", and dōron, "gift" — the same pairing found, in reverse order, in Dorothea.
How the name formed
- Theodōros
- Theodōra
- Theodora
Related forms: Θεοδώρα (Theodora) · Teodora · Teodora · Teodora · Feodora / Fyodora · Teodóra
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Theodora
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 2022426 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #500reached in 1885
- Change vs 2022
- −9.9%384 in 2025, from 426
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Theodora in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Θεοδώρα (Theodora) in Greek — same name
- Teodora in Italian — spelling variant
- Teodora in Spanish — spelling variant
- Teodora in Polish — spelling variant
- Feodora / Fyodora in Russian — same name
- Teodóra in Hungarian — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Theodoras among us
people named Theodora are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 4,186 born in 2025 was named Theodora
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
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 scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Theodora is headed
Theodora should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Theodora beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Theodora in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- Familiar through Theodore, so people know how to say it and spell it even if they have never met one.
- 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.
- Theadora and Teodora both circulate, so expect the odd spelling correction.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Theodora
Feminine · #725 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Theodoras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 7,800 people named Theodora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Theodora in 2025?
- Theodora ranks #725 among US girl names in 2025, with 384 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Theodora?
- About 1 in every 4,186 US girls born in 2025 was named Theodora — 384 in all.
- Will my child share the name Theodora with classmates?
- Theodora will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Theodora
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Gwen#725 · Bridget#724 · Samira#723 · Keilani#727 · Sol#722 · Bristol#728 · Kathryn#729 · Iliana#730
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Theodora? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Theodora and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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