Theodore

Today's name: Theodore

Pronunciation: THEE-oh-dor

Potential nicknames: Theo, Teddy, Terry, Teo, Rory

Origin: Greek, from Theodoros, meaning, "God's gift." Teodor, Feodor and Fedor

Popularity: In 2010 there were 220 baby boys named Theo, 26 named Theodor, 1,305 named Theodore, and 8 named Theodoros. Theodore ranked at #263, a slow rise in the past decade. There were also 69 boys named Teddy and 80 named Ted. In 2011 Theodore rose in popularity to #231 with 1,545 births. There were also 240 named Theo.

Fun fact: (1) Teddy bear comes from the name Theodore, thanks to U.S. president Teddy Roosevelt. It was tied to an incident in which he refused to kill a black bear that had been hunted down, clubbed, and then tied to a tree for him to shoot. He thought the act was unsportsmanlike, but killed the bear to end its suffering. (2) Multiple Saint Theodores and two Popes. (3) Tudor is the Welsh variant of Theodore. The Tudor Dynasty of kings, also known as the House of Tudor, originally started from Wales. Henry VII is the most famous Tudor ruler. (4) Dr. Seuss was a Theodore. (5) Ted Nugent was a Theodore. (6) Alvin, Simon and Theodore of The Chipmunks. (I will refrain from going on a rant about how much I loved the original TV series and movies.) There are several more namesakes and media associations.