| Theodora | Charisse | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | grace |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | thee-ə-DOR-ə | shuh-REESS |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2022 (426) | 1971 (209) |
| In 2025 | 384 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Theodora | Charisse |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,234 | 14 |
| 2010s | 1,126 | 65 |
| 2000s | 447 | 209 |
| 1990s | 457 | 521 |
| 1980s | 428 | 1,099 |
| 1970s | 436 | 1,441 |
| 1960s | 715 | 1,264 |
| 1950s | 1,041 | 635 |
| 1940s | 1,411 | 48 |
| 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.
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.
Theodora is more popular than Charisse today: about 384 US babies were given the name Theodora in 2025, compared with 0 named Charisse.
Theodora means gift of God (greek origin), while Charisse means grace (greek origin).
In US records, Theodora first appears in 1880 and Charisse in 0, so Charisse has the longer recorded history.