| Charisse | Theodora | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | grace | gift of God |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | shuh-REESS | thee-ə-DOR-ə |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1971 (209) | 2022 (426) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 384 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Charisse | Theodora |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 14 | 2,234 |
| 2010s | 65 | 1,126 |
| 2000s | 209 | 447 |
| 1990s | 521 | 457 |
| 1980s | 1,099 | 428 |
| 1970s | 1,441 | 436 |
| 1960s | 1,264 | 715 |
| 1950s | 635 | 1,041 |
| 1940s | 48 | 1,411 |
| 1930s | 0 | 1,099 |
| 1920s | 0 | 1,597 |
| 1910s | 0 | 994 |
| 1900s | 0 | 342 |
| 1890s | 0 | 220 |
| 1880s | 0 | 107 |
Generally a French-styled elaboration of Greek 'charis' (grace, kindness). Some sources propose an unrelated derivation (a cherry/Latin 'ceresia' link, or a feminine of Charles), so the grace meaning is the most-cited but not undisputed.
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 Charisse today: about 384 US babies were given the name Theodora in 2025, compared with 0 named Charisse.
Charisse means grace (greek origin), while Theodora means gift of God (greek origin).
In US records, Charisse first appears in 0 and Theodora in 1880, so Charisse has the longer recorded history.