How Many People Are Named Theodore?
An estimated 197,010 people in the United States have the first name Theodore. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #274 overall. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 34 years old, and Theodore peaked in popularity in 2024 with 12,024 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Theodore as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Theodore paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Theodore is overwhelmingly male, 962 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
197,010
About 1 in 1,740 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.7% confidence
Average Age
34
years old
Peak Year
2024
12,024 births
Total Registered
304,723
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Theodore
Theodore is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 304,723 total births registered, 99.7% were male.
Theodore as a male name
Ranked #4 in 2024
12,011 male births in 2024
Peak: 2024 (12,011 births)
Theodore as a female name
Ranked #8,357 in 2024
13 female births in 2024
Peak: 1929 (30 births)
Theodore: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Theodore span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2020s, when 52,204 babies were registered. Theodore remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Theodore by Decade
How has Theodore tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,176 | 2,176 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 2,300 | 2,300 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 6,519 | 6,490 | 29 | |
| 1910s | 21,204 | 21,106 | 98 | |
| 1920s | 31,469 | 31,287 | 182 | |
| 1930s | 25,088 | 24,957 | 131 | |
| 1940s | 26,316 | 26,248 | 68 | |
| 1950s | 29,143 | 29,049 | 94 | |
| 1960s | 21,387 | 21,286 | 101 | |
| 1970s | 13,661 | 13,570 | 91 | |
| 1980s | 12,047 | 11,959 | 88 | |
| 1990s | 10,109 | 10,109 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 10,556 | 10,556 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 40,544 | 40,525 | 19 | |
| 2020s | 52,204 | 52,143 | 61 | |
Theodore by State
Birth registrations for Theodore span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, California. The lowest are in Wyoming, Alaska, Nevada. On average, about 5,709 Theodores were registered per state.
Theodore + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Theodore as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Theodore
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
Theodore: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Theodore?
We estimate approximately 197,010 people named Theodore are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,740 Americans share this first name.
Is Theodore a common name?
Theodore is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 304,723 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Theodore most popular?
Theodore reached peak popularity in 2024, when 12,024 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Theodore is approximately 34 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Theodore a male name?
Theodore is predominantly male. 99.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Theodore Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Theodore Smith, Theodore Johnson, Theodore Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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