Theodora
Girl name · #725 in 2025 · Rare
Theodora is currently the #725 girl name in the United States — 384 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2294, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 4,688 girls born in 2025 was named Theodora.
The 145-year story
Theodora first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 11 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 426 babies and a rank of #688. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Theodora per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Theodora against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Theodora in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Theodora is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Theodora will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Theodora is most common
Geography matters for names, and Theodora is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Theodora is most common in SC (0.6 per 1,000), MI (0.5 per 1,000), MN (0.5 per 1,000), IL (0.5 per 1,000), PA (0.4 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.3 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Theodora is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Theodora
Theodora carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Theodora family went to about 1,326 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #234, versus #725 for Theodora alone.
Names like Theodora
Statistically, parents drawn to Theodora tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Eleanora, Theadora, Eliora, Eleonora, and Zora.
EleanoraTheadoraElioraEleonoraZoraKoraLioraZamora
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Theodora | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 384 | #725 |
| 2024 | 346 | #811 |
| 2023 | 363 | #776 |
| 2022 | 426 | #688 |
| 2021 | 387 | #737 |
| 2020 | 328 | #835 |
| 2019 | 314 | #853 |
| 2018 | 159 | #1406 |
| 2017 | 107 | #1889 |
| 2016 | 108 | #1884 |
| 2015 | 81 | #2294 |
| 2014 | 85 | #2213 |
| 2013 | 96 | #2020 |
| 2012 | 68 | #2632 |
| 2011 | 61 | #2838 |
| 2010 | 47 | #3409 |
| 2009 | 45 | #3561 |
| 2008 | 41 | #3859 |
| 2007 | 47 | #3482 |
| 2006 | 49 | #3316 |
| 2005 | 41 | #3587 |
| 2004 | 44 | #3391 |
| 2003 | 52 | #2923 |
| 2002 | 47 | #3069 |
| 2001 | 37 | #3549 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Theodora a popular girl name?
Theodora ranked #725 among girls in 2025 with 384 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2294.
When was the name Theodora most popular?
Theodora peaked in 2022, when 426 American girls received the name (ranked #688 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Theodora?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 4,688 newborn American girls was named Theodora. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.