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