| Theodore | Elias | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | The Lord is my God |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | THEE-ə-dor | ee-LY-us |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (13,355) | 2025 (8,837) |
| In 2025 | 13,355 | 8,837 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Theodore | Elias |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 65,579 | 42,605 |
| 2010s | 40,530 | 40,925 |
| 2000s | 10,556 | 19,617 |
| 1990s | 10,113 | 8,856 |
| 1980s | 11,958 | 4,479 |
| 1970s | 13,567 | 2,962 |
| 1960s | 21,288 | 1,774 |
| 1950s | 29,050 | 1,547 |
| 1940s | 26,249 | 1,227 |
| 1930s | 24,957 | 1,355 |
| 1920s | 31,287 | 1,766 |
| 1910s | 21,106 | 1,144 |
| 1900s | 6,490 | 254 |
| 1890s | 2,300 | 302 |
| 1880s | 2,176 | 450 |
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.
Elias is the Greek and Latin form of Elijah, from the Hebrew for “my God is Yahweh.” It appears in the New Testament and is used across Europe.
Theodore is more popular than Elias today: about 13,355 US babies were given the name Theodore in 2025, compared with 8,837 named Elias.
Theodore means gift of God (greek origin), while Elias means The Lord is my God (Greek origin).
In US records, Theodore first appears in 1880 and Elias in 1880, so Theodore has the longer recorded history.