| Philip | Theodore | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lover of horses | gift of God |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | FIL-ip | THEE-ə-dor |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1953 (6,279) | 2025 (13,355) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 13,355 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Philip | Theodore |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,713 | 65,579 |
| 2010s | 7,216 | 40,530 |
| 2000s | 10,193 | 10,556 |
| 1990s | 20,460 | 10,113 |
| 1980s | 35,733 | 11,958 |
| 1970s | 31,367 | 13,567 |
| 1960s | 44,780 | 21,288 |
| 1950s | 60,853 | 29,050 |
| 1940s | 48,735 | 26,249 |
| 1930s | 28,847 | 24,957 |
| 1920s | 27,268 | 31,287 |
| 1910s | 18,166 | 21,106 |
| 1900s | 2,817 | 6,490 |
| 1890s | 2,147 | 2,300 |
| 1880s | 1,741 | 2,176 |
From the Greek Philippos, combining philos 'loving, dear, friend' with hippos 'horse' — literally 'lover of horses', not 'lover' in general. The phil- element genuinely means love/affection, but note the object is horses.
From Greek Theodoros, combining theos 'God' and doron 'gift' — literally 'gift of God'. Note that Theodore and Dorothea are built from the SAME two elements in reversed order.
Theodore is more popular than Philip today: about 13,355 US babies were given the name Theodore in 2025, compared with 0 named Philip.
Philip means Lover of horses (greek origin), while Theodore means gift of God (greek origin).
In US records, Philip first appears in 0 and Theodore in 1880, so Philip has the longer recorded history.