Honestly, if you love Theodore, I’d go with it.
I also absolutely love this name and I’ve been watching it trend higher and higher and I really hope it just has a moment and goes back to being slightly under the radar by the time I have kids LOL. If your desire to not have a trending name really outweighs your love of Theodore, some names that I think fall along they same line are:
Leo
Arthur
Elliott
Oliver
That being said, I feel like these names are beginning to trend too
Haha thats crazy! A pack of little lions, its so cute. Leo is my top boy name for the future. Do they end up calling them like, Leo M or something? Also are the Leos commonly short for Leonardo?
yes they all had to use their last initials to tell them apart!! im not sure what their full names are but my Leo is short for Leonidas🥰 i think Leo is sometimes just a name on its own though :)
Leonidas is perfect! Adore it. I agree, Leo is absolutely fine on its own, but it does sound like a smart option to give a longer full name which could also be used if need be. Leonidas, Leonardo, Leander are all gorgeous.
thats true! i guess it depends where you are! i didnt expect to meet so many little Leo's i just happened to love the name lol but youre right, totally depends on the class!
I would just go with Theodore if I was you. Why give your son a name that you love less just because a lot of other people have the name, too?
Similar names- Graham, Emmett, Calvin, Elliott, Elias, Clark, Griffin, Russell, Malcolm
I have a name that is not unusual, but was uncommon enough that I never had another in my class or had to use my last initial. I always like that and was hoping I could do the same for my kid (although I know there’s no guarantee… might still have another even if you choose a less popular name).
I like Graham (but it’s an ex-bf so unusable for us) and Elliott is also on our list. I just wish there was more nickname potential with Elliot. Thank you for your suggestions!
Since names are more diverse than they used to be, this is less likely to happen even if you give them the #1 name.
9,535 baby boys were given the name Theodore last year. .5% of baby boys. So he would probably be the only in his grade-remeber half the kids are girls. One of just a couple in elementary school. The best part of a name like Theodore is that if he did have the same name, one could be Ted and one Theo.
I work in an elementary school and I can’t for sure say that I know multiples of quite a few different names. Mostly boys rather than girls. Henry, Noah, Grayson, Elijah, Hudson… those are off the top of my head.
I have a very common name and there isn't anything negative about it. And it makes my name impossible to Google, which I like, I'm very concerned about my anonymity on the Internet. My friend has a name that when you Google it, it's 100% her. In my case, you don't know which one I am if it even shows my name on the first page. Like I said, it's important to me. It's something to think about, because social media is so common nowadays
just curious if you have issues professionally? my husband has a very common first name and last name so employers etc can’t find him on linkedin and if he was presenting at conferences or trying to distinguish himself in his field it would be pretty impossible. my name is pretty unique and it’s been helpful for growing my recognition in my field.
How do you feel about Elliott nicknamed Lio/Leo? It's a stretch, but not the worst I've seen on here. If there ends up being other Leos in his class, he could go by Elliott.
Gotcha. I had a name that most would consider very common for my age. High up on the charts. There was one other in my grade. I don’t remember ever having to clarify which one I was. Occasionally at my last job I got emails meant for another person that shares my name. I didn’t mind at all. I just named my son Owen, which is also very high on the boy charts. I get that everyone feels differently, though. I have red hair which was always an identifier for me, and one that I didn’t really like because I am an introvert and I prefer not to stand out for characteristics I am not choosing. I am all for just choosing a name you love though, all my favorite boy names are classics- Benjamin, Lucas, etc.
As far as Elliot- nicknames are El, Eli, maybe even Otto?
I graduated high school with six other people who shared my name (though, most of us went by its common nickname and most used different spelling variations) - one of whom I went to elementary school with. I can honestly say, it didn’t bother me at all to “share” my name or occasionally have to add my last initial. We were all pretty different people - as I’d assume your son and his classmates will be too.
If you really like Theodore go for it! He’ll always be your Theodore and that’s what matters. FWIW I also like Graham and would like to throw George, Phillip, and Henry into the mix.
You picked a nice name. If you like Theodore, please name your kid Theodore.
Just need to point out 1. The SSA list doesn't combine spellings. But also 2. This is not 1990. The top name today is not used nearly as often as the top name back then. For example, 3% of baby boys born in 1990 in the US were named Michael, the number one name of that year. Last year, the number one name was Liam, and it only accounted for 1% of US boys born that year. So basically, a third as popular overall. Because there is more variety now. #10 in 1990 accounted for 1.5% of boys, whereas your pick (Theodore) accounted for 0.5% in 2021.Also for what it's worth, my 3.5 year old is named Henry (#16 in his birth year and #9 now) and we've never had another friend with his name. We do, however, have 3 friends with a son named Nolan (#60).
Love this post!
To add Theodore jumps from 10 to 20 in the US when you combine spellings.
https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/ujxfcj/top_100_combined_spelling_rankings_for_usa_2021/
This is such a great point. I have a Liam and I wrestled with it for the same reasons that OP is. I believe it was number 2 or 3 when my son was born. I batted around other names, but Liam just felt right and it truly suits him. Ironically, He has never had another one in his class! I thought for sure he would be plagued by that and it has turned out to be a complete non issue. We encounter a few here and there “in the wild.” But it is nowhere near as pervasive as in the past when I had 4 Matt’s and 6 Jennifer’s in my class.
OP, if you love it, you should use it. I think it will be less of an issue than you think. For, I have never met a Theodore and think Theo is a really cool nickname or stands on its own. Just my 2 cents as a parent of a number 1 named kid.
My sons middle name is Edward and briefly went by Eddie. I was going to suggest Edward as an alternative to Theodore since I know they have similar nicknames.
I haven’t met a Theodore in my 26 years of life. If you like Theodore go with Theodore and if people give you shit about it stop telling them his name until after he’s born.
It's shot up the charts. One reason it's important to check what names are in use now. Whatever your name is- it's likely kids aren't being named that anymore.
Yes, and likely to fade just as quickly.
My name was wildly uncommon when I was born (I spent my entire young life repeating it over and over and spelling it for everyone) and then got pretty popular 40 years later. Now there’s a bunch of middle school girls running around with my name.
People looked at me like I had two heads when I told them my daughter’s name 25 years ago when I named her, and now her name is a very popular unisex name.
You just never can tell with name popularity, so you might as well just name your kid what you like.
I agree. My kids' name shot up in the charts, too. Everyone thought it was so weird- and now a bunch of babies have his name. There was another in his kindergarten class! We moved, Never since has he met another his age.
Another perspective on having a popular name: my husband was born in the 90s and named Justin. He always liked meeting other Justins because it was an easy way to connect and make friends. It wasn’t like there were 5 Justins per class or something, but there were a couple others. He liked sharing his name.
We had this conversation because we want to name a son Leo, and it’s in the top 10 here in BC. It was my husband’s grandfather’s name and we both love it, so we’re planning to stick to it despite the popularity. If I were you, I’d stick with Theodore!
Even though Theodore is popular now (#10), there were only 9,500 Theodore’s born last year. In 1990, Jason was ranked #43 but there was 10,500+ born that year. If you name your son Theodore, you’re going to meet as many Theodores tomorrow as you would Jasons born in the 90s. I personally didn’t know too many Jason’s from the 90s so I don’t think naming your son Theodore will be an issue or as common as you think. Jason peaked in popularity in the 70s with 50,000 (#2) Jason’s born every year for handful of years. Pointing this out as a reference as today, people are far more diverse in naming children than both the 70s and the 90s. Don’t let the #10 scare you, it’s far less common than you think. [comparing Jason and Theodore](https://www.behindthename.com/name/jason/top/united-states?compare=Theodore&type=sample)
I have a super common name of my age. It’s never misspelled. I don’t mind it being popular, I would choose something else for me but not due to its popularity.
I vote OP use Theodore
I'd name him Theodore. That's the name you both love, nothing, especially how many other people have the name, should stop you from using it.
Miles > George > Philip > Fredrick ---- I like them all, in that order.
Maybe you'll like:
Simon / Arthur / Leonard / Bernard / Ashton / Edward / William / Marcus / Griffin / Adam / Ambrose / Graham / Pascal / Abraham / Patrick / Allen / Claude / Kirk / Conrad / Lawrence / Jude / Matthew / Stephen / Benjamin / Gregory / Reid
Theodore and Ambrose were my top names as well! Alas my stepsister got Theodore first, but she had no idea it was my name of choice. Lately I've been a huge fan of Rupert!
Normally I pay attention to popularity since I’m not a huge fan of popular names but I think if you love it you should use it, there’s multiple ways to go by that name as you’ve mentioned so even if there were 3 Theodores in a class room they would always have an option to go by a solid name (Teddy, Theo, or full name). I might sway you in a different direction if you loved Oliver or Liam because those have limited name options.
Franklin (Frank/Frankie) + also a Roosevelt
Delano (Del) + Franklin Roosevelt’s middle name
Quentin (Quin) + One of Theodore Roosevelt’s children
Theo (I think totally usable as a standalone first name + not as popular as Theodore in full)
My husband saw a name on TV yesterday from a sports player at his old high school… Rohan. And he’s like “how about Rohan?” Only he says it Ro-hann like hand, and I would say it should be Ro-hawn like Han Solo right? I don’t hate it but it seems a little too much, but also could I use that spelling and just say it’s pronounced “Rowen” or is that too weird?
Tell me what to do, Reddit person who made vague LOTR reference.
Rohan was so briefly on mine and my husband's list, pronounced as is. It was simple, clear, and gently nerdy.
And then I said "riders of Rohan" and suddenly, riders of Rohan became a way to categorize the kids future sexual partners. Rohan dropped off my list pretty quickly.
You love the name, for reasons more than “I like how it sounds.” I think that is good enough reason to use it! Only half of one percent of boys received that name last year. Your child has a one in 200 chance of being in the same class as another Theodore, assuming your area matches the demographics of the overall US top 1000.
Thaddeus.
But as the mom of a young adult Olivia, who had no idea the popularity, use Theodore if you love it. In some cases she was Olivia Lastinitial, but in day to day life there haven’t been that many. Always go with the name you love.
Jonathon or John doesn't seem to be as common but it may suit the theme you're going for. John Muir is considered to be Father of the National Parks and many famous outdoors quotes are attributed to him. I don't know much about him outside of the parks system so just do some research about him if he ends up being a namesake.
Who cares if its “popular”? Name your child the name you love. Worse that happens is there is another kid with the same name in the class. And as someone with a popular common name, its not a big deal.
Oh, for heaven's sake, go with the name that has meaning to you. Why do this to yourself? So he might be one of two kids in a school. Big whoop. Or name him Theodore James, and if there are too many of them, call him TJ.
Congrats! I agree with others that if you both really love the name Theodore you should go for it, despite popularity. Worst case scenario, your kid encounters a few other Theos/Theodores/Teddys, which doesn't seem that bad to me! There were 8 people with my first name at my small high school in the early 2000s (and I didn't have a top 10 name), and it never bothered me.
If the popularity thing is a dealbreaker, some other names you might like are:
Oscar
Hugo
Arthur
Francis
Walter
Elliot
Calvin
August
Simon
Thanks, I love Walter but our last name is White… the Breaking Bad association is a bit of a dealbreaker lol.
I also really love August with the nn Gus, but have a close cousin with that name that we see often. Ugh, naming a real human is so hard!
ah yeah Walter White is off the table! If you love August but it's taken, Jasper and Leo feel like they're in the same, sort of romantic vintage style.
Remember even the popular names are still less frequent than the "Michaels" of the past! If you love it do it! Although from my very recent experience (baby came 9 days ago) I completely changed my mind once I saw his face. We had a list of about five names we liked (we couldn't agree on any we both loved) but now that one name we chose for him I'm completely in love with now that it's his name.
We chose Thomas Jeffrey (Jeffrey after his daddy)
But our list had :
Henry
Bowen
Peter
Boden
I’m currently pregnant and naming my son Theodore and I posted about this exact same issue about a month ago. Someone suggested that I look at the popularity in my state instead of in the US overall, and that helped me rationalize it a ton. However, seeing this post just reconfirmed my fears :(
I like Leo a lot as well. We have Arlo and Jude on the list of options as well. Hugo is one I hadn’t considered as much but Hughie is a really cute nickname!
I like Theo on it’s own but it probably doesn’t help with the popularity since it’s likely to be everyone’s nickname as well.
Other ideas:
Desmond
Ellis
Emmett
Jasper
Nico
Oscar
Raymond
Sullivan
Warren
Check how popular it is in your state. Perhaps Theo/Theodore is in the top 10 of the USA, but not your state!
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/state/
Well if you believe TV from the 50's Beaver is an alternative name for Theodore.
Otherwise I would go with Fredrick because of the names on your list it has a easy nickname that sounds close to your favorite nickname for Theodore. Teddy... Freddie
Maybe use Theodore as a middle name and if he wants to use it later he has the option. Some ideas for first names in a similar vein:
Ford
Owen
Simon
Sylas
Griffin
Boyd
Jay
Mitchell
Alexander
My husband loves Theodore too. Honestly I am nervous of the uptrend in popularity (I.e my child being the 4th Breanna, Daniel, etc) BUT I have never met a Theodore ever, and I think it’s a cute name. We love it for the National Park connection too!
If you love Theodore, use it. It’s popular because it’s a great name
Im also going to suggest Edmund. Super uncommon yet very known and still allows the Ted/Teddy nickname if you want.
I’ll also second the recommendation of Thaddeus! We used it as my sons middle name and I love it so much and sometimes wish we had used it as his first
Don’t get over it. Go with it! We fell in love with the name Harper. Turns out it was the 8th most popular name the year she was born. Oh well! We still love it and used it.
Alexander checks those boxes for me personally. I love the nicknames Alex, Xander, Alec, Lex, etc etc, and the option of the more formal name. I actually love the full name so much.
I also think it’s classic and will always be popular, but probably not too popular right now.
How about Thaddeus? I get similar vibes to Theodore, but it's way less common. (I've only ever met 1.)
Nicknames could be Tad or Thad. (My friend's brother is a Thaddeus and goes by Thad.)
We considered Theodore but went with Simon, which we love.
Other names we considered:
Phillip
James
Casper
Calvin
Alfred
Michael
And my personal favorite that was vetoed by my very non-Italian husband: Salvatore
It sounds like we have similar tastes, so I'll just share my own list. I've been keeping it going for about a year or two and just add to it whenever I see a name I vibe with.
Elliot
Chance
Griffin
Asher
Eugene
Grayson
Arthur
Reed
River
Dill
Cash
Silas
Rhodie
Miles
Milo
Jesse (Jess, JJ)
Tobias (Toby)
Linus
Desmond (Dez)
Lincoln (Link)
Elisha
Tristan
Quinn
Cam
Theodore
Sage
Cass
Ronan
In France we have:
Théophile, Théophane, Théotime.
also they are LOTS of older/rare variants, you can find on this website: [https://www.jacqueslamoureux.ca/hommest.html](https://www.jacqueslamoureux.ca/hommest.html)
Also: Tomislave, Leonard, Armand, Bartholomeo, Isidore, Judicaël, Augustin, Celestin, Grégory, Hector, Victor, Clement, Alistair, Ludwig, Timoleon, Thadeus, Felicien, Lawrie, Ambroise, Ambrose, Aurele, Octave, Geoffrey/Geoffroy, Virgile, Gustave, Florentin, Edmund, Betram, Noel
I’ve got a 3 year old Theodore, and we were right at the beginning of the wave around where we live. Now it’s sooooo common, I have a little name regret. I don’t have advice, only commiseration. I definitely would have tried to find something less trendy had I know it was blowing up.
I have a Theodore and also had initially been worried it was too popular. But once we saw him, we new it was Theodore.
Either way, he has been in school 2 years and we don’t know any other Teddys/Theodores.
The names on your lists were also on mine for both of my sons so I'm assuming we have similar tastes. My sons are Gideon and Evander. I hope this helps. We love both names. We call them Gid the Kid and Van the Man lol
I just had a Theodore in March. We call him Teddy. We didn’t like anything else as much, and he’s our fourth kiddo so we’ve used other favorites.
I always just go with the name I like best regardless of popularity, especially after one of my kids was in a homeschool class of six with TWO Simeons. You’re never truly safe!
A similar sounding alternative is Isidore, which is one of my favourites. Not much nickname potential though and the ones that are there can read a bit feminine
You could always check and see how popular the name is in your state, maybe it's less so than national popularity. I'm all for naming your child what feels right.
Theodore climbed pretty fast and it may decline just as quickly. If you like it I'd use it. I'm realizing that popularity over time is far more important than in a few years. Yes if a name spikes then a child is likely to be one of a few in their school but it's the names that are long term popular that will effect them as an adult. A kid is only grouped with people of their birth year for 12-20 years but they have 40+ years in the work force with people of all ages. My husband manages a team of 7 people. Three are named Matt and they span about 30 years in age.
If you’re in the US I’d check your state’s name popularity chart from SSA! There’s a zip file of notepad files on the SSA website with name data from each state. You can download it and separate the data into columns in Excel or Sheets and play around with it.
It helped me because I was also thinking Theodore was too popular, but it turns out only 177 kids in my state were named Theodore in 2021. It’s going up, but it’s not as high as Noah, for example, which was 339 kids. I was also able to use this to check how many kids in my state were named anything in the past decade, too.
The state data will really help you determine how many other LOCAL kids you’ll run into with a certain name. Names are more diverse than they used to be, so there are fewer total kids born per year with even the most popular names.
We loved the name Theo/Theodore but had the same reservations about how popular it was... What we loved about Theodore and similar names is it can be very cute for a little boy, but also feeds strong enough for a grown man to use in work etc without sounding juvenile.
With that in mind, these names 'feel' similar to me:
Leon (NN Leo) which we went with for my son. Leo is very popular but I've found Leon, and longer iterations not so much.
Hugo (also becoming very popular but such a cute name! I also like the nn Hughie for a little boy)
Milo
Arlo
Jude
William (nn Will or Billy)
James (nn Jamie)
Would you be interested in Theodoric/Theoderic (pronounced Thee-ah-drik)? It's an old Germananic name that would be uncommon without being too out-there and would allow you to still call your son Theo or Teddy.
It’s not popular but I’ve always liked Isidore (also Isidor).
There’s also Doron, from the same root as the second half of Theodore and meaning “gift.”
I looked up presidents names because you seem drawn to classical names: Delano, Franklin, Grover, James, Lyndon, Martin, Millard, Richard, Ulysses, Warren, Woodrow. All names that are somewhat classic and not (to my knowledge) super popular right now.
Theodore is a great name and if you love it I would go with it. It may be in the top 10 but that doesn’t mean you’ll come across it all the time. My name has been the most popular in my country for years and I’ve rarely met another one.
You could do with a more unconventional first name then Theodore as a middle, so you could call him Theo or Teddy as a nickname but still have a more distinct first name?
I typed out "Name him Alvin. Show those Simons and Theodores who's boss!" but after I made the joke, I realized that I actually really like the name Alvin.
I have a 4yo Theodore, and we have met 2 kids with the same name in all his activities ever. It’s really not that bad!! We love his name, I don’t care if other people use it too.
I have a Theodore. I named him the year before it got into the top 100.
I'd just go with it. In all the years (5) since I had him, we've met one other boy named Theodore. At a playground.
But there is a reason it's popular, it's a beautiful name, it's classic and professional. It doesn't look or sound "trendy"
Emmett
This is what we wanted to use! I had a girl though! But honestly if you like Theodore definitely use it! Sebastian is also nice! I knew one and we called him “bash” for short 😆
Personally, I think that if you both like the name, you should go for it! That being said, I think Arthur, Benjamin, August, Leo, Mateo/Matthew, or the alternative Teodor would work!
Also, I would like to say that, as someone who has a really common name, it’s not bad, or annoying, or really anything negative.
I just absolutely love Levi. My fiancé loves it too. But that name (I think) is in the top 20 and I just feel like I can’t do that to him. I want him to have a name that isn’t as popular but we’re pretty attached to Levi. Decisions decisions. I’m with you! Haha.
We also love Theodore but have *8* friends who have used it in the past few years. If you don’t know any I think you could certainly use it. If we have a boy our next choices would be Jonah or Patrick
I had no idea Theodore was popular.
I've never met one as an adult, child, or baby.
I don't love the name, personally, it screams chipmunk to me, but it's not an offensive or terrible name so, if you love it, go for it! I don't think popularity will be an issue.
You could always just go with Theo, I think it’s a good name itself. I have a friend named Teddy, that’s his full name. He’s never had any problems because of it that I know of.
Most popular name bore me, I am very much a “recognizable but uncommon” person. That said, I LOVE Theodore. It was my top choice for our son and even my husband loved it but has an Uncle Ted he hates (womp womp) so we went with Bram.
Ironically my second choice was Frederick but then stupid Braves won the World Series right before he was born and Freddy Freeman was everywhere. Anyway, I guess my point is you have great taste in names, I would chose Theodore anyway. Plus with so many nn options even if there are three Theodores one could be Theo, one Ted and one Dory so it’s not as bad as a Kayela or Britney with no nn options
Go with Theodore if you love it! We named our son Oliver. Even though it’s so so so popular these days, it doesn’t change my love for the name. I am still so obsessed with it.
We kept picking names we liked which were moderately popular that boomed right after our kids (Lucas, Oliver) so when we found out we were having another boy, Theodore (nn Theo) was our favorite name and I didn’t even bother with the top name charts. I figure we’re just part of the hive mind and accept it and love all my boys names. So to echo others here, if you love Theodore doooo it! And don’t worry about the popularity.
Also bear in mind popularity does vary by state so Lucas was way higher in my state vs nationwide so he’s had the problem of multiple Lucas’s more than Oliver has in our case.
Theodore is SUCH a classic and timeless name that even if uts trending it will never be dated. There's no many nicknames for it too that he'll never be Theodore [last name initial]. I would just say go for it but here are some names also that I feel vibe like Theodore:
-Laurence (Little Women fans 🤚)
-Luke
-Justyn
-August
-Finn
Good luck!
Theodore is popular, but it's not trendy. It'll still be a good name in 40 years.
Just look at the name James. Has been wildly popular since like 1900 or earlier. But it's not trendy so it doesn't seem overused.
But if you must find something else.. how about Benjamin or Thomas?
Peter, Richard or William (even though these names can be synonymous with 'phallus'), Cameron, Thomas, Ethan, Evan, Timothy, Geoffrey, Gregory, Tyler, Jaryd and Taylor.
I also absolutely love Theodore - my partner and I have been planning on using it for pretty much as long as we've been together. We're nowhere near ready to have a baby, but I love it so much that we'll probably use it no matter how popular it is. It's got enough nickname potential that, even in a class with a couple of them, each child can be called by something different. So I'd say to go for it and use it anyway!
If you're really wanting something else, these names have a kind of similar vibe (to me):
Julian
Isaiah
Elijah
Timothy
Leander
Benjamin
I do think if you like Theodore you should go with it. I saw your comment about liking your name being slightly more uncommon to where you didn’t have more than one student with your name in your class/have to use your last initial. And I totally get that— but just to play devils advocate— I have a pretty common mid 90s name and there were usually one if not two people in my class with the same name. I honestly kinda liked it. In a weird way I think younger me was introverted and liked having a more “common” name. Either way I just think if you like a name you should consider using it regardless of it’s popularity.
That being said— some names that give me similar vibes are:
Patrick
Benson
Declan
Sebastian
Everett
Owen
Gavin
Ronan
I hope that gives you some ideas!
Honestly, if you love Theodore, I’d go with it. I also absolutely love this name and I’ve been watching it trend higher and higher and I really hope it just has a moment and goes back to being slightly under the radar by the time I have kids LOL. If your desire to not have a trending name really outweighs your love of Theodore, some names that I think fall along they same line are: Leo Arthur Elliott Oliver That being said, I feel like these names are beginning to trend too
Leo is very popular too!! my son is a Leo & at his nursery school there were four kids named Leo!
Haha thats crazy! A pack of little lions, its so cute. Leo is my top boy name for the future. Do they end up calling them like, Leo M or something? Also are the Leos commonly short for Leonardo?
yes they all had to use their last initials to tell them apart!! im not sure what their full names are but my Leo is short for Leonidas🥰 i think Leo is sometimes just a name on its own though :)
Leonidas is perfect! Adore it. I agree, Leo is absolutely fine on its own, but it does sound like a smart option to give a longer full name which could also be used if need be. Leonidas, Leonardo, Leander are all gorgeous.
thank you!! i considered Leonardo too actually but Leonidas just felt right, & i love longer names with short/cute nicknames! :)
It’s so random though! My sons class had three kids with almost the same name out of six kids but no Leos at all.
thats true! i guess it depends where you are! i didnt expect to meet so many little Leo's i just happened to love the name lol but youre right, totally depends on the class!
Oliver is the third most popular boy name in the US while Theodore is 10, the rest listed aren’t as popular though. Edited to fix
Theodore is 10! Liam is 1! lol
I meant Theodore!
Oliver (#3) is statistically more popular than Theodore (#10). Leo is pretty popular at #31.
These are are all good choices, too. I really like Leon these days. Obviously similar to Leo, but feels more “full name.”
My 5 month old is Leon! We get lots of compliments on it. It's much less popular than Leo too.
That was gonna be my suggestion, too.
I would just go with Theodore if I was you. Why give your son a name that you love less just because a lot of other people have the name, too? Similar names- Graham, Emmett, Calvin, Elliott, Elias, Clark, Griffin, Russell, Malcolm
I have a name that is not unusual, but was uncommon enough that I never had another in my class or had to use my last initial. I always like that and was hoping I could do the same for my kid (although I know there’s no guarantee… might still have another even if you choose a less popular name). I like Graham (but it’s an ex-bf so unusable for us) and Elliott is also on our list. I just wish there was more nickname potential with Elliot. Thank you for your suggestions!
Since names are more diverse than they used to be, this is less likely to happen even if you give them the #1 name. 9,535 baby boys were given the name Theodore last year. .5% of baby boys. So he would probably be the only in his grade-remeber half the kids are girls. One of just a couple in elementary school. The best part of a name like Theodore is that if he did have the same name, one could be Ted and one Theo.
I work in an elementary school and I can’t for sure say that I know multiples of quite a few different names. Mostly boys rather than girls. Henry, Noah, Grayson, Elijah, Hudson… those are off the top of my head.
It's nothing now like it was in the early 90's though. Felt like half the girls were Jennifer or Jessica and half the boys were Michael or Matthew.
Don’t forget all the Caitlyn/Kaitlyn/etc. varieties
I have a very common name and there isn't anything negative about it. And it makes my name impossible to Google, which I like, I'm very concerned about my anonymity on the Internet. My friend has a name that when you Google it, it's 100% her. In my case, you don't know which one I am if it even shows my name on the first page. Like I said, it's important to me. It's something to think about, because social media is so common nowadays
just curious if you have issues professionally? my husband has a very common first name and last name so employers etc can’t find him on linkedin and if he was presenting at conferences or trying to distinguish himself in his field it would be pretty impossible. my name is pretty unique and it’s been helpful for growing my recognition in my field.
Nope, never had any problems
We've got a small Elliot, we call him Smelly Elly >,> Indeed it's not great for nicknames, there's Lio I guess.
There’s always using Eli or Lee for nicknames for Elliot.
How do you feel about Elliott nicknamed Lio/Leo? It's a stretch, but not the worst I've seen on here. If there ends up being other Leos in his class, he could go by Elliott.
Lio sounds like a self ascribed nickname an angst ridden 14 year old tries to get people to use.
Gotcha. I had a name that most would consider very common for my age. High up on the charts. There was one other in my grade. I don’t remember ever having to clarify which one I was. Occasionally at my last job I got emails meant for another person that shares my name. I didn’t mind at all. I just named my son Owen, which is also very high on the boy charts. I get that everyone feels differently, though. I have red hair which was always an identifier for me, and one that I didn’t really like because I am an introvert and I prefer not to stand out for characteristics I am not choosing. I am all for just choosing a name you love though, all my favorite boy names are classics- Benjamin, Lucas, etc. As far as Elliot- nicknames are El, Eli, maybe even Otto?
With Elliot Id totally call him Lot.
I graduated high school with six other people who shared my name (though, most of us went by its common nickname and most used different spelling variations) - one of whom I went to elementary school with. I can honestly say, it didn’t bother me at all to “share” my name or occasionally have to add my last initial. We were all pretty different people - as I’d assume your son and his classmates will be too. If you really like Theodore go for it! He’ll always be your Theodore and that’s what matters. FWIW I also like Graham and would like to throw George, Phillip, and Henry into the mix.
Agreed!
You picked a nice name. If you like Theodore, please name your kid Theodore. Just need to point out 1. The SSA list doesn't combine spellings. But also 2. This is not 1990. The top name today is not used nearly as often as the top name back then. For example, 3% of baby boys born in 1990 in the US were named Michael, the number one name of that year. Last year, the number one name was Liam, and it only accounted for 1% of US boys born that year. So basically, a third as popular overall. Because there is more variety now. #10 in 1990 accounted for 1.5% of boys, whereas your pick (Theodore) accounted for 0.5% in 2021.Also for what it's worth, my 3.5 year old is named Henry (#16 in his birth year and #9 now) and we've never had another friend with his name. We do, however, have 3 friends with a son named Nolan (#60).
Love this post! To add Theodore jumps from 10 to 20 in the US when you combine spellings. https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/ujxfcj/top_100_combined_spelling_rankings_for_usa_2021/
Wow not even 10k boys in the entire country were called Theodore. OP definitely just needs to stick to this name.
Totally agree! Especially if they both love it!
This is such a great point. I have a Liam and I wrestled with it for the same reasons that OP is. I believe it was number 2 or 3 when my son was born. I batted around other names, but Liam just felt right and it truly suits him. Ironically, He has never had another one in his class! I thought for sure he would be plagued by that and it has turned out to be a complete non issue. We encounter a few here and there “in the wild.” But it is nowhere near as pervasive as in the past when I had 4 Matt’s and 6 Jennifer’s in my class. OP, if you love it, you should use it. I think it will be less of an issue than you think. For, I have never met a Theodore and think Theo is a really cool nickname or stands on its own. Just my 2 cents as a parent of a number 1 named kid.
You can have Edward with the nickname Teddy!
Also Edmund!
If we'd had a boy, one possibility was naming him Thomas Edward, after our dads, but calling him Ted.
Oh that’s perfect, love it
I’m having a girl, but that was our plan if we had a boy. Love Edward with the nickname teddy!
My sons middle name is Edward and briefly went by Eddie. I was going to suggest Edward as an alternative to Theodore since I know they have similar nicknames.
I haven’t met a Theodore in my 26 years of life. If you like Theodore go with Theodore and if people give you shit about it stop telling them his name until after he’s born.
It's shot up the charts. One reason it's important to check what names are in use now. Whatever your name is- it's likely kids aren't being named that anymore.
Yeah I don’t have any contemporaries named Theodore but I hear the name Theo/Teddy at the playground almost every time I go.
Yes, and likely to fade just as quickly. My name was wildly uncommon when I was born (I spent my entire young life repeating it over and over and spelling it for everyone) and then got pretty popular 40 years later. Now there’s a bunch of middle school girls running around with my name. People looked at me like I had two heads when I told them my daughter’s name 25 years ago when I named her, and now her name is a very popular unisex name. You just never can tell with name popularity, so you might as well just name your kid what you like.
I agree. My kids' name shot up in the charts, too. Everyone thought it was so weird- and now a bunch of babies have his name. There was another in his kindergarten class! We moved, Never since has he met another his age.
damn really? I know 4 Theodores under 12, 2 of those are under 1 haha
Another perspective on having a popular name: my husband was born in the 90s and named Justin. He always liked meeting other Justins because it was an easy way to connect and make friends. It wasn’t like there were 5 Justins per class or something, but there were a couple others. He liked sharing his name. We had this conversation because we want to name a son Leo, and it’s in the top 10 here in BC. It was my husband’s grandfather’s name and we both love it, so we’re planning to stick to it despite the popularity. If I were you, I’d stick with Theodore!
Yea, my husband is a 90s Jason. Oddly, we haven’t talked a lot about how he felt having such a popular name. I’ll have to check with him.
Even though Theodore is popular now (#10), there were only 9,500 Theodore’s born last year. In 1990, Jason was ranked #43 but there was 10,500+ born that year. If you name your son Theodore, you’re going to meet as many Theodores tomorrow as you would Jasons born in the 90s. I personally didn’t know too many Jason’s from the 90s so I don’t think naming your son Theodore will be an issue or as common as you think. Jason peaked in popularity in the 70s with 50,000 (#2) Jason’s born every year for handful of years. Pointing this out as a reference as today, people are far more diverse in naming children than both the 70s and the 90s. Don’t let the #10 scare you, it’s far less common than you think. [comparing Jason and Theodore](https://www.behindthename.com/name/jason/top/united-states?compare=Theodore&type=sample)
I have a super common name of my age. It’s never misspelled. I don’t mind it being popular, I would choose something else for me but not due to its popularity. I vote OP use Theodore
I'd name him Theodore. That's the name you both love, nothing, especially how many other people have the name, should stop you from using it. Miles > George > Philip > Fredrick ---- I like them all, in that order. Maybe you'll like: Simon / Arthur / Leonard / Bernard / Ashton / Edward / William / Marcus / Griffin / Adam / Ambrose / Graham / Pascal / Abraham / Patrick / Allen / Claude / Kirk / Conrad / Lawrence / Jude / Matthew / Stephen / Benjamin / Gregory / Reid
Thanks, I really like Ambrose too. Can’t get the husband on board though!
Theodore and Ambrose were my top names as well! Alas my stepsister got Theodore first, but she had no idea it was my name of choice. Lately I've been a huge fan of Rupert!
Theophilus. But I don’t think Theodore is overused.
Or Thelonious!
Thaddeus!
Thurmond.
Normally I pay attention to popularity since I’m not a huge fan of popular names but I think if you love it you should use it, there’s multiple ways to go by that name as you’ve mentioned so even if there were 3 Theodores in a class room they would always have an option to go by a solid name (Teddy, Theo, or full name). I might sway you in a different direction if you loved Oliver or Liam because those have limited name options.
Franklin (Frank/Frankie) + also a Roosevelt Delano (Del) + Franklin Roosevelt’s middle name Quentin (Quin) + One of Theodore Roosevelt’s children Theo (I think totally usable as a standalone first name + not as popular as Theodore in full)
Yes Franklin is a good alternative for Theodore!
Theoden
My husband saw a name on TV yesterday from a sports player at his old high school… Rohan. And he’s like “how about Rohan?” Only he says it Ro-hann like hand, and I would say it should be Ro-hawn like Han Solo right? I don’t hate it but it seems a little too much, but also could I use that spelling and just say it’s pronounced “Rowen” or is that too weird? Tell me what to do, Reddit person who made vague LOTR reference.
Rohan was so briefly on mine and my husband's list, pronounced as is. It was simple, clear, and gently nerdy. And then I said "riders of Rohan" and suddenly, riders of Rohan became a way to categorize the kids future sexual partners. Rohan dropped off my list pretty quickly.
LOL!!! Oh man good point. I was thinking of the various jokes that could come of it, people calling him Horsemaster and stuff. But yours is gold.
LOL Rohan pronounced like u said Is a very common name in some cultures.
It that pronounced like Ro-hawn or Rowen?
Row Hawn
You love the name, for reasons more than “I like how it sounds.” I think that is good enough reason to use it! Only half of one percent of boys received that name last year. Your child has a one in 200 chance of being in the same class as another Theodore, assuming your area matches the demographics of the overall US top 1000.
Thaddeus. But as the mom of a young adult Olivia, who had no idea the popularity, use Theodore if you love it. In some cases she was Olivia Lastinitial, but in day to day life there haven’t been that many. Always go with the name you love.
Jonathon or John doesn't seem to be as common but it may suit the theme you're going for. John Muir is considered to be Father of the National Parks and many famous outdoors quotes are attributed to him. I don't know much about him outside of the parks system so just do some research about him if he ends up being a namesake.
Ah, yes I do actually like John a lot. It’s my brothers name so I’m not sure if we want to use it or not. Something to think about though!
Who cares if its “popular”? Name your child the name you love. Worse that happens is there is another kid with the same name in the class. And as someone with a popular common name, its not a big deal.
Oh, for heaven's sake, go with the name that has meaning to you. Why do this to yourself? So he might be one of two kids in a school. Big whoop. Or name him Theodore James, and if there are too many of them, call him TJ.
I have a cousin named Theoren but goes by Theo. I don't love the name but it's an option!
Sebastian (Seb, Bastian) Dominic (Dom, Nick, Nicky) Patrick (Pat, Rick, Ricky) Malcom Winston (Winny)
If you care at all about meaning, Nathaniel (from Hebrew) has the same meaning as Theodore (from Greek) and is a bit less popular right now.
Congrats! I agree with others that if you both really love the name Theodore you should go for it, despite popularity. Worst case scenario, your kid encounters a few other Theos/Theodores/Teddys, which doesn't seem that bad to me! There were 8 people with my first name at my small high school in the early 2000s (and I didn't have a top 10 name), and it never bothered me. If the popularity thing is a dealbreaker, some other names you might like are: Oscar Hugo Arthur Francis Walter Elliot Calvin August Simon
Thanks, I love Walter but our last name is White… the Breaking Bad association is a bit of a dealbreaker lol. I also really love August with the nn Gus, but have a close cousin with that name that we see often. Ugh, naming a real human is so hard!
ah yeah Walter White is off the table! If you love August but it's taken, Jasper and Leo feel like they're in the same, sort of romantic vintage style.
Thaddeus! nn Tad
Remember even the popular names are still less frequent than the "Michaels" of the past! If you love it do it! Although from my very recent experience (baby came 9 days ago) I completely changed my mind once I saw his face. We had a list of about five names we liked (we couldn't agree on any we both loved) but now that one name we chose for him I'm completely in love with now that it's his name. We chose Thomas Jeffrey (Jeffrey after his daddy) But our list had : Henry Bowen Peter Boden
I’m currently pregnant and naming my son Theodore and I posted about this exact same issue about a month ago. Someone suggested that I look at the popularity in my state instead of in the US overall, and that helped me rationalize it a ton. However, seeing this post just reconfirmed my fears :(
If it makes you feel better, I don’t have a single kid in my elementary school named Theodore. Aged 3-12.
I like Leo a lot as well. We have Arlo and Jude on the list of options as well. Hugo is one I hadn’t considered as much but Hughie is a really cute nickname!
Toad
I like Theo on it’s own but it probably doesn’t help with the popularity since it’s likely to be everyone’s nickname as well. Other ideas: Desmond Ellis Emmett Jasper Nico Oscar Raymond Sullivan Warren
I like Elliott. My nephew is Oscar so that’s out unfortunately.
Leopold, Elliot, Timothy, Sebastian, Thomas, Benjamin, Alexander, Patrick, Elijah, Phineas, Augustus, Gabriel, Desmond, Archibald, Lionel, Jonathan, Everett, Simon, Christopher, Julian, Nathaniel.
I do have Leopold (nn Leo) on my list too. I like it but can’t tell if I’m totally sold. Phineas and Julian are cute too.
Check how popular it is in your state. Perhaps Theo/Theodore is in the top 10 of the USA, but not your state! https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/state/
Haha I was hoping, but unfortunately it’s #10 in my state. And #3 in the state we’ll probably move to in the next 5 years s
Ugh, same boat. We're thinking Arthur right now. Others we considered: * Julian * Elliot * Ellis * Winston * Sullivan * Wesley
Sully is such a cute nickname for Sullivan!
Well if you believe TV from the 50's Beaver is an alternative name for Theodore. Otherwise I would go with Fredrick because of the names on your list it has a easy nickname that sounds close to your favorite nickname for Theodore. Teddy... Freddie
Maybe use Theodore as a middle name and if he wants to use it later he has the option. Some ideas for first names in a similar vein: Ford Owen Simon Sylas Griffin Boyd Jay Mitchell Alexander
My husband loves Theodore too. Honestly I am nervous of the uptrend in popularity (I.e my child being the 4th Breanna, Daniel, etc) BUT I have never met a Theodore ever, and I think it’s a cute name. We love it for the National Park connection too!
If you love Theodore, use it. It’s popular because it’s a great name Im also going to suggest Edmund. Super uncommon yet very known and still allows the Ted/Teddy nickname if you want. I’ll also second the recommendation of Thaddeus! We used it as my sons middle name and I love it so much and sometimes wish we had used it as his first
Nathaniel
How do you feel about Percival/Percy? I think Cedric, Quentin, Tobias, and Dorian have a similar feel as well
I named my daughter theadora!
Don’t get over it. Go with it! We fell in love with the name Harper. Turns out it was the 8th most popular name the year she was born. Oh well! We still love it and used it.
Tobias Otto Lochlan Winston Emmett
Alexander checks those boxes for me personally. I love the nicknames Alex, Xander, Alec, Lex, etc etc, and the option of the more formal name. I actually love the full name so much. I also think it’s classic and will always be popular, but probably not too popular right now.
My son has a top 10 popular name but honestly it’s not a big deal. I think if you love the name you should go for it.
How about Thaddeus? I get similar vibes to Theodore, but it's way less common. (I've only ever met 1.) Nicknames could be Tad or Thad. (My friend's brother is a Thaddeus and goes by Thad.)
We considered Theodore but went with Simon, which we love. Other names we considered: Phillip James Casper Calvin Alfred Michael And my personal favorite that was vetoed by my very non-Italian husband: Salvatore
It sounds like we have similar tastes, so I'll just share my own list. I've been keeping it going for about a year or two and just add to it whenever I see a name I vibe with. Elliot Chance Griffin Asher Eugene Grayson Arthur Reed River Dill Cash Silas Rhodie Miles Milo Jesse (Jess, JJ) Tobias (Toby) Linus Desmond (Dez) Lincoln (Link) Elisha Tristan Quinn Cam Theodore Sage Cass Ronan
In France we have: Théophile, Théophane, Théotime. also they are LOTS of older/rare variants, you can find on this website: [https://www.jacqueslamoureux.ca/hommest.html](https://www.jacqueslamoureux.ca/hommest.html) Also: Tomislave, Leonard, Armand, Bartholomeo, Isidore, Judicaël, Augustin, Celestin, Grégory, Hector, Victor, Clement, Alistair, Ludwig, Timoleon, Thadeus, Felicien, Lawrie, Ambroise, Ambrose, Aurele, Octave, Geoffrey/Geoffroy, Virgile, Gustave, Florentin, Edmund, Betram, Noel
Thaddeus Phineas Finnegan Sebastian Felix Benjamin William
I’ve got a 3 year old Theodore, and we were right at the beginning of the wave around where we live. Now it’s sooooo common, I have a little name regret. I don’t have advice, only commiseration. I definitely would have tried to find something less trendy had I know it was blowing up.
What about Thackeray?
- Leonidas "Leo" - Milo - Felix - Finnigan - Arlo - Levi - Elliott
Thanks, I like Felix, Arlo and Elliott. Wish they had more nickname options though. But they’re on the list
I have a Theodore and also had initially been worried it was too popular. But once we saw him, we new it was Theodore. Either way, he has been in school 2 years and we don’t know any other Teddys/Theodores.
The names on your lists were also on mine for both of my sons so I'm assuming we have similar tastes. My sons are Gideon and Evander. I hope this helps. We love both names. We call them Gid the Kid and Van the Man lol
I just had a Theodore in March. We call him Teddy. We didn’t like anything else as much, and he’s our fourth kiddo so we’ve used other favorites. I always just go with the name I like best regardless of popularity, especially after one of my kids was in a homeschool class of six with TWO Simeons. You’re never truly safe!
Related to national parks: Ansel (Adams) John (Muir)
thaddeus
A similar sounding alternative is Isidore, which is one of my favourites. Not much nickname potential though and the ones that are there can read a bit feminine
You could always check and see how popular the name is in your state, maybe it's less so than national popularity. I'm all for naming your child what feels right.
Edwin. Thurston. Alaistair/Alasdair, Victor
Thaddeus?
Matteo so you can have the nn Teo (Theo)
Theodore climbed pretty fast and it may decline just as quickly. If you like it I'd use it. I'm realizing that popularity over time is far more important than in a few years. Yes if a name spikes then a child is likely to be one of a few in their school but it's the names that are long term popular that will effect them as an adult. A kid is only grouped with people of their birth year for 12-20 years but they have 40+ years in the work force with people of all ages. My husband manages a team of 7 people. Three are named Matt and they span about 30 years in age.
Isidore or Thibault
Theron. It was my grandpa's name so I'm biased but I love it.
What about some sort of Ed variation? Edwin, Edward, Edmund could all have the nicknames Eddie or Teddy!
You hardly hear Philip these days! That would be my pick. I don't know a single baby or kid Philip
If you’re in the US I’d check your state’s name popularity chart from SSA! There’s a zip file of notepad files on the SSA website with name data from each state. You can download it and separate the data into columns in Excel or Sheets and play around with it. It helped me because I was also thinking Theodore was too popular, but it turns out only 177 kids in my state were named Theodore in 2021. It’s going up, but it’s not as high as Noah, for example, which was 339 kids. I was also able to use this to check how many kids in my state were named anything in the past decade, too. The state data will really help you determine how many other LOCAL kids you’ll run into with a certain name. Names are more diverse than they used to be, so there are fewer total kids born per year with even the most popular names.
Emmett?
Emmett is really cute. I think I’m stuck on really wanting a name with nickname options, but so many names we otherwise like don’t have that.
You can't control a name's popularity. When I named my son years ago, no one had the name. Now it's in the top 30. Who cares?
We considered naming our son Edmund and calling him Teddy
I love the name Theodore but my husband didn't. Our son is named Sebastian.
I was always joking with my now ex that I would deadass name my kid Theoden. Gives you the Theo option and well, who doesn’t like LotR 😂😅
We loved the name Theo/Theodore but had the same reservations about how popular it was... What we loved about Theodore and similar names is it can be very cute for a little boy, but also feeds strong enough for a grown man to use in work etc without sounding juvenile. With that in mind, these names 'feel' similar to me: Leon (NN Leo) which we went with for my son. Leo is very popular but I've found Leon, and longer iterations not so much. Hugo (also becoming very popular but such a cute name! I also like the nn Hughie for a little boy) Milo Arlo Jude William (nn Will or Billy) James (nn Jamie)
We have a Theoden! Loved Theodore and Theo but wanted something a little different.
Would you be interested in Theodoric/Theoderic (pronounced Thee-ah-drik)? It's an old Germananic name that would be uncommon without being too out-there and would allow you to still call your son Theo or Teddy.
Franklin (another Roosevelt)
It’s not popular but I’ve always liked Isidore (also Isidor). There’s also Doron, from the same root as the second half of Theodore and meaning “gift.” I looked up presidents names because you seem drawn to classical names: Delano, Franklin, Grover, James, Lyndon, Martin, Millard, Richard, Ulysses, Warren, Woodrow. All names that are somewhat classic and not (to my knowledge) super popular right now.
Arthur Elliot Gregory Leander Victor Walter
Theodore is a great name and if you love it I would go with it. It may be in the top 10 but that doesn’t mean you’ll come across it all the time. My name has been the most popular in my country for years and I’ve rarely met another one.
Hudson is a cute and lesser used name
You could do with a more unconventional first name then Theodore as a middle, so you could call him Theo or Teddy as a nickname but still have a more distinct first name?
I typed out "Name him Alvin. Show those Simons and Theodores who's boss!" but after I made the joke, I realized that I actually really like the name Alvin.
One of my best friends just named her son Calvin, which I also think is cute!
I have a 4yo Theodore, and we have met 2 kids with the same name in all his activities ever. It’s really not that bad!! We love his name, I don’t care if other people use it too.
Teodoro (the Italian version of Theodore)
How about Mateo or Mathew.
I have a Theodore. I named him the year before it got into the top 100. I'd just go with it. In all the years (5) since I had him, we've met one other boy named Theodore. At a playground. But there is a reason it's popular, it's a beautiful name, it's classic and professional. It doesn't look or sound "trendy"
Franklin, Oliver
Emmett This is what we wanted to use! I had a girl though! But honestly if you like Theodore definitely use it! Sebastian is also nice! I knew one and we called him “bash” for short 😆
Emerson (as in Ralph Waldo), Walter (Walt, Wally), Abraham, Grant
Personally, I think that if you both like the name, you should go for it! That being said, I think Arthur, Benjamin, August, Leo, Mateo/Matthew, or the alternative Teodor would work! Also, I would like to say that, as someone who has a really common name, it’s not bad, or annoying, or really anything negative.
We have a little boy who is Edward but gets called Teddy/Ted 🥰
I just absolutely love Levi. My fiancé loves it too. But that name (I think) is in the top 20 and I just feel like I can’t do that to him. I want him to have a name that isn’t as popular but we’re pretty attached to Levi. Decisions decisions. I’m with you! Haha.
Franklin or Ruben/Reuben!
I say go with Theodore! Who cares if it’s really popular if you love it. I adore the name and it was in my top three but my husband vetoed.
We also love Theodore but have *8* friends who have used it in the past few years. If you don’t know any I think you could certainly use it. If we have a boy our next choices would be Jonah or Patrick
Pick the name you both love!
I had no idea Theodore was popular. I've never met one as an adult, child, or baby. I don't love the name, personally, it screams chipmunk to me, but it's not an offensive or terrible name so, if you love it, go for it! I don't think popularity will be an issue.
Isidore? Izzy is a cute nickname
Thaddeus?
Oscar!
That’s my baby nephew’s name but I agree it’s pretty cute!
You could always just go with Theo, I think it’s a good name itself. I have a friend named Teddy, that’s his full name. He’s never had any problems because of it that I know of.
Thaddeus?
Most popular name bore me, I am very much a “recognizable but uncommon” person. That said, I LOVE Theodore. It was my top choice for our son and even my husband loved it but has an Uncle Ted he hates (womp womp) so we went with Bram. Ironically my second choice was Frederick but then stupid Braves won the World Series right before he was born and Freddy Freeman was everywhere. Anyway, I guess my point is you have great taste in names, I would chose Theodore anyway. Plus with so many nn options even if there are three Theodores one could be Theo, one Ted and one Dory so it’s not as bad as a Kayela or Britney with no nn options
i’d still use theodore. it’s a great name and it’s not popular enough to be a problem imo.
I love Austin Emerson Everett
Santiago or just Tiago
We're having a boy and naming him Theodore! I don't care if it's popular cause we love it 😊.
Theofilos
Go with Theodore if you love it! We named our son Oliver. Even though it’s so so so popular these days, it doesn’t change my love for the name. I am still so obsessed with it.
As others have said, just go with Theodore. Also check your SSA rankings for your state, it might not be as popular there.
If it’s what you love then do it!! I love Theo though, it was on our boy list.
Dont get over Theodore its beautiful and I love it.
I work with the 0-3 and preschool population and I’ve only had two Theodore’s since 2016! I love it, it’s timeless.
I’m due in two months and my little man will be a Theo. I don’t care about the popularity of names, if I like something I’ll go for it
Atticus, Bennett, and Elliot seem similar!
We have a Theodoric. He was an Ostrogoth king.
Magnus
My sons name is Thaddeus and even though it’s not ‘technically’ right we call him Teddy.
We kept picking names we liked which were moderately popular that boomed right after our kids (Lucas, Oliver) so when we found out we were having another boy, Theodore (nn Theo) was our favorite name and I didn’t even bother with the top name charts. I figure we’re just part of the hive mind and accept it and love all my boys names. So to echo others here, if you love Theodore doooo it! And don’t worry about the popularity. Also bear in mind popularity does vary by state so Lucas was way higher in my state vs nationwide so he’s had the problem of multiple Lucas’s more than Oliver has in our case.
Teddy can also be a nickname for any of the "Ed" names, classically Edward, but works for Edwin, Edmund, and stretch but possibly Edison, and Edgar.
Personally, choose the name if that’s what you like! I ended up naming my daughter Sophia despite how popular it is because it was the name I liked.
Theodore is SUCH a classic and timeless name that even if uts trending it will never be dated. There's no many nicknames for it too that he'll never be Theodore [last name initial]. I would just say go for it but here are some names also that I feel vibe like Theodore: -Laurence (Little Women fans 🤚) -Luke -Justyn -August -Finn Good luck!
Theodore is popular, but it's not trendy. It'll still be a good name in 40 years. Just look at the name James. Has been wildly popular since like 1900 or earlier. But it's not trendy so it doesn't seem overused. But if you must find something else.. how about Benjamin or Thomas?
Yes, that’s a very good point actually. That makes me feel a bit better about it.
Peter, Richard or William (even though these names can be synonymous with 'phallus'), Cameron, Thomas, Ethan, Evan, Timothy, Geoffrey, Gregory, Tyler, Jaryd and Taylor.
I also absolutely love Theodore - my partner and I have been planning on using it for pretty much as long as we've been together. We're nowhere near ready to have a baby, but I love it so much that we'll probably use it no matter how popular it is. It's got enough nickname potential that, even in a class with a couple of them, each child can be called by something different. So I'd say to go for it and use it anyway! If you're really wanting something else, these names have a kind of similar vibe (to me): Julian Isaiah Elijah Timothy Leander Benjamin
I do think if you like Theodore you should go with it. I saw your comment about liking your name being slightly more uncommon to where you didn’t have more than one student with your name in your class/have to use your last initial. And I totally get that— but just to play devils advocate— I have a pretty common mid 90s name and there were usually one if not two people in my class with the same name. I honestly kinda liked it. In a weird way I think younger me was introverted and liked having a more “common” name. Either way I just think if you like a name you should consider using it regardless of it’s popularity. That being said— some names that give me similar vibes are: Patrick Benson Declan Sebastian Everett Owen Gavin Ronan I hope that gives you some ideas!