| Ariadne | Theodora | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Most holy | gift of God |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ar-ee-AD-nee | thee-ə-DOR-ə |
| Syllables | 4 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1960 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2016 (389) | 2022 (426) |
| In 2025 | 115 | 384 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ariadne | Theodora |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,126 | 2,234 |
| 2010s | 2,589 | 1,126 |
| 2000s | 621 | 447 |
| 1990s | 255 | 457 |
| 1980s | 100 | 428 |
| 1970s | 63 | 436 |
| 1960s | 70 | 715 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,041 |
| 1940s | 0 | 1,411 |
| 1930s | 0 | 1,099 |
| 1920s | 0 | 1,597 |
| 1910s | 0 | 994 |
| 1900s | 0 | 342 |
| 1890s | 0 | 220 |
| 1880s | 0 | 107 |
Ariadne means “most holy” in Greek; she guides Theseus from the labyrinth.
Feminine of Theodore, from Greek theos 'God' + doron 'gift', meaning 'gift of God'. Shares its elements with Dorothea in reversed order.
Theodora is more popular than Ariadne today: about 384 US babies were given the name Theodora in 2025, compared with 115 named Ariadne.
Ariadne means Most holy (Greek origin), while Theodora means gift of God (greek origin).
In US records, Ariadne first appears in 1960 and Theodora in 1880, so Theodora has the longer recorded history.