| Theodore | Luke | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | From Lucania; light |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | THEE-ə-dor | LOOK |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (13,355) | 2014 (10,523) |
| In 2025 | 13,355 | 6,948 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Theodore | Luke |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 65,579 | 44,149 |
| 2010s | 40,530 | 93,274 |
| 2000s | 10,556 | 90,506 |
| 1990s | 10,113 | 44,434 |
| 1980s | 11,958 | 27,044 |
| 1970s | 13,567 | 10,283 |
| 1960s | 21,288 | 4,071 |
| 1950s | 29,050 | 2,308 |
| 1940s | 26,249 | 1,298 |
| 1930s | 24,957 | 1,269 |
| 1920s | 31,287 | 1,699 |
| 1910s | 21,106 | 1,343 |
| 1900s | 6,490 | 498 |
| 1890s | 2,300 | 402 |
| 1880s | 2,176 | 442 |
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.
Luke is the English form of the Greek Loukas, “from Lucania,” a region of southern Italy. Luke the Evangelist, a physician, wrote the third Gospel and the Book of Acts.
Theodore is more popular than Luke today: about 13,355 US babies were given the name Theodore in 2025, compared with 6,948 named Luke.
Theodore means gift of God (greek origin), while Luke means From Lucania; light (Greek origin).
In US records, Theodore first appears in 1880 and Luke in 1880, so Theodore has the longer recorded history.