Teodora
A feminine given name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 729 living Americans carry the first name Teodora. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Teodora today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Teodora births was 1921 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Teodora. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
729
~ 1 in 470,171 Americans
Peak year
1921
23 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,923
Tracked since 1893
Popularity
Teodora: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Teodora from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 190 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Teodora remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Teodora by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Teodora during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Teodoras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Teodora, while Illinois, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 125 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Teodora
The name Teodora has its origins in the Greek language, deriving from the words "theos" meaning "god" and "doron" meaning "gift." It can be translated to mean "gift of God" or "God's gift." The name dates back to ancient times and was commonly used in the Byzantine Empire.
One of the earliest and most notable historical figures bearing the name Teodora was Teodora of Tyre, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. She was executed for her faith during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian. Her martyrdom is recorded in various early Christian writings and hagiographies.
Another prominent Teodora was Teodora of Byzantium, wife of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. She lived from around 497 AD to 548 AD and played a significant role in shaping the politics and culture of the Byzantine Empire. Teodora is depicted in the famous mosaics of the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.
In the 9th century, Teodora was the name of a Byzantine Empress who served as the regent for her son, Michael III, from 842 to 856 AD. She was instrumental in restoring the veneration of icons in the Byzantine Empire after the Iconoclastic controversies.
During the Renaissance period, Teodora Malaspina (1455-1528) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of artists and writers such as Michelangelo and Ludovico Ariosto.
In more recent history, Teodora Konstantin Adelborg (1853-1938) was a Swedish writer and feminist activist who played a significant role in the women's rights movement in Sweden.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Teodora, a name with deep roots in ancient Greek language and culture, and a rich historical legacy across various regions and time periods.
People
Teodora + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Teodora as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Teodora: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Teodora?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 729 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Teodora going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 470,171 US residents.
Is Teodora a common name?
We classify Teodora as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,302 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Teodora most popular?
The single biggest year for Teodora was 1921, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Teodora is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Teodora a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Teodora in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.