Theodore
A surname from the personal name Theodore, meaning “gift of God.”
The #7,247 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,104 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Theodore comes from the given name Theodore, ultimately from Greek Theodoros via Latin and French forms. The name is built from the Greek words for “God” and “gift,” so its literal meaning is “gift of God.” In surname use, it is generally a family name taken from a bearer’s personal name rather than from a place or occupation.
History
The name was well established as a Christian personal name long before it appeared as a surname. English and Scottish surname writers note it as an ordinary personal-name surname, and Welsh Tudor/Tewdwr was sometimes treated as a related form or equivalent in older scholarship. Modern bearers are found in several English-speaking countries, especially where Christian given names became surnames or were adopted as family names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Greek name underlies both Theodore and the old Welsh form Tudor in some historical discussions.
From the historical record
“THEOBALDS, Theobald's (Son). THEODORE (A,-Fr.-Lat-.Gr.) Divine Gift [Lat. Theodorus, Gr. ee63upos -Oeds, God -f- a der. of Supeiv, to give] THEODORIC (Teut.) People or Mighty Ruler [O.Teut. Theod(o)ric, Thiodric, Thiudrik, etc. : v. under Theed, and 4-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)