Theo
From the Greek for "gift of god", and a boy's name through and through. Nearly unknown in Poland a decade back, it's climbing fast: more newborns got it last year than in any year before, yet it stays rare enough that most Poles have never met one.
Theo Pronunciation
What Theo means
Where Theo comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Theo begins in Greek, from theos, meaning god, and doron, meaning gift. Put the two together and the sense is plain: gift of god, or dar boga. The name reached us as a short form of Theodore, and Polish keeps the longer shape as Teodor, with Teodora for a daughter.
The clipped Theo belongs mostly to English and German families. German literature holds a full Theodor in Fontane, the novelist behind Effi Briest, and the Dutch art trade remembers Theo van Gogh, the dealer who backed his brother Vincent. It fits a roll call. Two syllables, easy to write on any official form at the urząd.
When a Polish boy is entered as Teodor in a class register, the short Theo often follows him home from school. His imieniny will still read Teodor, and the meaning underneath stays the same: gift of god.
How many people are named Theo
1 in 35816 men in Poland is named Theo. 596 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1221 among male names.
Theo's popularity over time
62 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #315 among newborns. It is making a comeback after a low in 2011.
Where parents choose Theo
Theo is most popular in West Pomeranian, 75% above the national average (16 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Lower Silesian (+65%) and Lubusz (+49%). It is least common in Łódź and Podlaskie, 85% and 72% below average respectively.
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West Pomeranian
+75%1 in 5,277 babies
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Lower Silesian
+65%1 in 5,612 babies
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Lubusz
+49%1 in 6,207 babies
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Łódź
−85%1 in 63,359 babies
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Podlaskie
−72%1 in 32,893 babies
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Warmian-Masurian
−49%1 in 17,948 babies
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West Pomeranian+75% 16 born1 in 5,277 babies+75%
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Lower Silesian+65% 28 born1 in 5,612 babies+65%
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Lubusz+49% 8 born1 in 6,207 babies+49%
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Silesian+26% 31 born1 in 7,341 babies+26%
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Pomeranian+25% 20 born1 in 7,366 babies+25%
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Greater Poland+20% 28 born1 in 7,687 babies+20%
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Masovian+2% 39 born1 in 9,084 babies+2%
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Lesser Poland+2% 25 born1 in 9,077 babies+2%
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Subcarpathian−8% 12 born1 in 10,047 babies−8%
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Lublin−28% 8 born1 in 12,834 babies−28%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian−32% 8 born1 in 13,672 babies−32%
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Opole−40% 3 born1 in 15,365 babies−40%
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Warmian-Masurian−49% 4 born1 in 17,948 babies−49%
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Podlaskie−72% 2 born1 in 32,893 babies−72%
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Łódź−85% 2 born1 in 63,359 babies−85%
Theo as a middle name
Theo is a first name for 596 men in Poland and a middle name for another 89, an 87/13 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 766th, between Pankracy (89) and Bernardyn (88).
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#764 Mehmet89
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#765 Pankracy89
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#766 Theo89
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#767 Bernardyn88
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#768 Casper88