| Theodore | Peter | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Rock, stone |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | THEE-ə-dor | PEE-ter |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (13,355) | 1957 (11,603) |
| In 2025 | 13,355 | 1,954 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Theodore | Peter |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 65,579 | 10,923 |
| 2010s | 40,530 | 18,725 |
| 2000s | 10,556 | 26,136 |
| 1990s | 10,113 | 42,394 |
| 1980s | 11,958 | 56,713 |
| 1970s | 13,567 | 62,320 |
| 1960s | 21,288 | 92,418 |
| 1950s | 29,050 | 102,747 |
| 1940s | 26,249 | 69,330 |
| 1930s | 24,957 | 35,822 |
| 1920s | 31,287 | 34,066 |
| 1910s | 21,106 | 24,935 |
| 1900s | 6,490 | 4,375 |
| 1890s | 2,300 | 4,028 |
| 1880s | 2,176 | 4,656 |
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.
From the Greek petros, “rock.” Jesus renames the apostle Simon as Peter, the rock of the church.
Theodore is more popular than Peter today: about 13,355 US babies were given the name Theodore in 2025, compared with 1,954 named Peter.
Theodore means gift of God (greek origin), while Peter means Rock, stone (Greek origin).
In US records, Theodore first appears in 1880 and Peter in 1880, so Theodore has the longer recorded history.