embrisa.
embrisa.
Theme
Masculine

Theo

/ˈθi.oʊ/

Gift of God, divine

Greek

How to say it

THE · o

/ˈθi.oʊ/

What it means

Greek theos ('god') as a name root. Started as a short for Theodore ('gift of God') or Theobald ('bold people'); now a standalone name in its own right.

Theo started as a short form for any Greek name starting with theos ('god'): Theodore, Theobald, Theophilus. Vincent van Gogh's younger brother Theo (born Theodorus) is the most famous historical example; the brothers' correspondence is one of the great records of 19th-century art. As a standalone given name Theo is mostly a 21st-century phenomenon, surging from the 2010s onward as parents prefer the short form to the formal Theodore. It entered the US top 200 in 2021. Two syllables, no further nickname.

Popularity over time

#10 #100 #1000 #1 #228518802025

peaked at #78 in 2023, currently #82 in 2025.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving

Heads-up notes

  • Pop culture

    Theo Huxtable from The Cosby Show was the dominant American Theo for a generation; Vincent van Gogh's brother Theo (the art dealer) is the older anchor.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

  • Theo van Gogh Art dealer and younger brother of Vincent; their correspondence is one of the great records of 19th-century art
  • Theo Huxtable Malcolm-Jamal Warner's character on The Cosby Show, 1984-1992

Spelling variants

  • Théo