| Theodore | Philip | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Lover of horses |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | THEE-ə-dor | FIL-ip |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (13,355) | 1953 (6,279) |
| In 2025 | 13,355 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Theodore | Philip |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 65,579 | 3,713 |
| 2010s | 40,530 | 7,216 |
| 2000s | 10,556 | 10,193 |
| 1990s | 10,113 | 20,460 |
| 1980s | 11,958 | 35,733 |
| 1970s | 13,567 | 31,367 |
| 1960s | 21,288 | 44,780 |
| 1950s | 29,050 | 60,853 |
| 1940s | 26,249 | 48,735 |
| 1930s | 24,957 | 28,847 |
| 1920s | 31,287 | 27,268 |
| 1910s | 21,106 | 18,166 |
| 1900s | 6,490 | 2,817 |
| 1890s | 2,300 | 2,147 |
| 1880s | 2,176 | 1,741 |
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 Philippos, combining philos 'loving, dear, friend' with hippos 'horse' — literally 'lover of horses', not 'lover' in general. The phil- element genuinely means love/affection, but note the object is horses.
Theodore is more popular than Philip today: about 13,355 US babies were given the name Theodore in 2025, compared with 0 named Philip.
Theodore means gift of God (greek origin), while Philip means Lover of horses (greek origin).
In US records, Theodore first appears in 1880 and Philip in 0, so Philip has the longer recorded history.