| Theo | Phoenix | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Firebird reborn from flame |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | THEE-oh | FEE-niks |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1968 |
| Peak year | 2023 (4,140) | 2020 (1,534) |
| In 2025 | 3,945 | 1,027 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Theo | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,784 | 7,843 |
| 2010s | 8,189 | 10,623 |
| 2000s | 1,386 | 5,086 |
| 1990s | 600 | 972 |
| 1980s | 540 | 32 |
| 1970s | 386 | 10 |
| 1960s | 323 | 5 |
| 1950s | 371 | 0 |
| 1940s | 440 | 0 |
| 1930s | 680 | 0 |
| 1920s | 980 | 0 |
| 1910s | 714 | 0 |
| 1900s | 226 | 0 |
| 1890s | 118 | 0 |
| 1880s | 93 | 0 |
Short form of Theodore (or feminine Theodora), from Greek theos 'God' + doron 'gift'. Carries the 'gift of God' sense of the full name; on its own the element theos means 'God'.
From Greek 'phoinix', the mythical bird that is consumed by fire and reborn from its own ashes. The fire link is through the rebirth-by-fire myth rather than a literal word for fire.
Theo is more popular than Phoenix today: about 3,945 US babies were given the name Theo in 2025, compared with 1,027 named Phoenix.
Theo means gift of God (greek origin), while Phoenix means Firebird reborn from flame (greek origin).
In US records, Theo first appears in 1880 and Phoenix in 1968, so Theo has the longer recorded history.