Theodora
Fewer than 40 women in Poland carry it, so most Poles will never meet a Theodora. The name comes from Greek for "gift of god", and no newborn has been given it in years.
Theodora Pronunciation
What Theodora means
Where Theodora comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Theodora comes from Greek. It joins theos, meaning god, with doron, meaning gift. The English gloss reads "gift of god," and a Polish reader will know the same sense as dar boga. The masculine counterpart is Teodor, and the everyday short form is Dora.
The most famous bearer is Empress Theodora, who ruled beside Justinian in sixth-century Constantinople. She began as an actress and rose to shape law and church affairs. Her name outlasted the empire.
The root travels. Russian turns Teodor into Fyodor, the given name of the novelist Dostoevsky. Same theos, same doron, one meaning across three languages.
In a Polish szkoła register, Teodora sits near Teodor, two entries from one Greek word. Call her Dora and the classroom answers.
How many people are named Theodora
1 in 626218 women in Poland is named Theodora. 36 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #6654 among female names.
Theodora as a middle name
Theodora is a first name for 36 women in Poland and a middle name for another 23, a 61/39 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 1504th, between Stéphanie (23) and Verena (23).
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#1502 Stasia23
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#1503 Stéphanie23
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#1504 Theodora23
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#1505 Verena23
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#1506 Vy23