Theodorakis last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Theodorakis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Theodorakis.

Meaning of Theodorakis

A Greek surname meaning "gift of God".

Theodorakis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Theodorakis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Theodorakis in America

Theodorakis is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Theodorakis surname appeared 153 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Theodorakis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Theodorakis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 114424 112967 1.28%
Count 153 144 6.06%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.05 0.00%

The history of the last name Theodorakis

The surname Theodorakis originates from Greece and dates back to the Byzantine era. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the Greek personal name Theodoros, which means "gift of God" or "divine gift". This name was particularly popular among Greek Orthodox Christians, as it reflected their religious beliefs.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Theodorakis can be found in medieval Greek manuscripts and church records from the 12th and 13th centuries. These documents mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Theodorakopoulos and Theodorakakis, which were regional spellings influenced by local dialects.

During the Ottoman rule in Greece, many Greek families adopted surnames as a means of preserving their cultural identity. The Theodorakis surname became more widespread during this period, particularly in regions like the Peloponnese, where it was associated with prominent families and influential figures.

One notable historical figure bearing the Theodorakis surname was Nikolaos Theodorakis, a Greek military officer and revolutionary who played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century. He was born in Messenia in 1785 and died in 1856.

Another prominent individual was Dimitrios Theodorakis, a Greek painter who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in Pyrgos, Peloponnese, in 1871 and is renowned for his depictions of Greek landscapes and everyday life scenes.

In the 20th century, the composer and songwriter Mikis Theodorakis gained international recognition. Born in 1925 on the island of Chios, he is best known for his musical scores for Greek films, as well as his politically charged songs that became anthems during the Greek resistance against the military junta in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Theodorakis surname has also been associated with several notable academics and intellectuals. One example is Nikos Theodorakis, a contemporary Greek philosopher and writer who was born in Athens in 1966 and is known for his works exploring existentialism and the human condition.

Throughout its history, the Theodorakis surname has maintained a strong presence in Greece, particularly in regions like the Peloponnese and the Aegean islands. Its origins can be traced back to the Byzantine era, and it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including military leaders, artists, intellectuals, and musicians.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Theodorakis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Theodorakis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Theodorakis was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.04% 150
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Theodorakis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 98.04% 97.22% 0.84%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Theodorakis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Theodorakis, please contact us.

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"Theodorakis last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 5, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/theodorakis-surname-popularity/.

"Theodorakis last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/theodorakis-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 May, 2025

Theodorakis last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/theodorakis-surname-popularity/.

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