Theo is a
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
and a
hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or ''Bob (given name), Bob'' fo ...
.
Greek origin
Many names beginning with the root ''Theo-'' derive from the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
word (), which means God,
for example:
*Feminine names:
Thea,
Theodora,
Theodosia,
Theophania,
Theophano and
Theoxena
*Masculine names:
Theodore,
Theodoros/Theodorus,
Theodosius,
Theodotus,
Theophanes,
Theophilus
Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philÃa'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ...
,
Theodoret and
Theophylact
Germanic origin
Many other names beginning with "Theo-" do not necessarily derive from Greek, but rather the old Germanic "theud", meaning "people" or "folk".
[ These names include:
* Theobald, Theodahad, Theodard, Theodebert, Theodemir, and ]Theodoric
Theodoric is a Germanic given name. First attested as a Gothic name in the 5th century, it became widespread in the Germanic-speaking world, not least due to its most famous bearer, Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths.
Overview
The name w ...
People with the name Theo
See Theo and Théo for a current alphabetical list of all people with the first name Theo or Théo in the English Wikipedia.
Among better known people with this name are:
* Theo Adam (1926–2019), German classical bass-baritone
* Theo Albrecht (1922–2010), German entrepreneur and billionaire
* Theo Angelopoulos (1935–2012), Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer
* Theo Avgerinos (born 1978), American film director
* Theo Benedet (born 2001), Canadian American football player
* Theo Bos (born 1983), Dutch road and track cyclist, five-time world champion
* Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931), Dutch artist, founder and leader of the De Stijl art movement
* Theo Epstein (born 1973), American baseball executive, three-time World Series champion
* Theo Fleury (born 1968), Canadian ice hockey player
* Theo Geisel (1904–1991), American author better known as Dr. Seuss
* Theo van Gogh (art dealer) (1857–1891), brother and supporter of painter Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...
* Theo van Gogh (film director) (1957–2004), Dutch film director, great-grandson of the above
* Theo Grant (born 2000), Canadian football player
* Theo Heemskerk (1852–1932), Dutch Prime Minister
* Théo Hernandez (born 1997), French footballer
* Theo Hutchcraft (born 1986), English singer and songwriter
* Theo Jackson (disambiguation), multiple people
* Theo James (born 1984), English actor
* Theo Jansen (born 1948), Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor
* Theo Janssen (born 1981), Dutch footballer
* Theo Johnson (born 2001), Canadian American football player
* Theo Jörgensmann (born 1948), German jazz clarinetist and composer
* Théo Lefèvre (1914–1973), Belgian Prime Minister
* Theo Lingen (1903–1978), German actor, film director and screenwriter
* Theo Mackeben (1897–1953), German composer and conductor
* Theo Melin Öhrström, Swedish-American football player
* Theo Osterkamp (1892–1975), German flying ace in both World War I and World War II
* Theo Pabst (1905–1979), German architect
* Theo Pelouze (1807–1867), French chemist
* Theo de Raadt (born 1968), South African-born Canadian founder and leader of the OpenBSD and OpenSSH projects
* Theo Ratliff (born 1973), American basketball player (Theophalus)
* Theo Rossi (born 1975), American actor and producer
* Théo van Rysselberghe (1862–1926), Belgian neo-impressionist painter
* Théo Sarapo (1936–1970), French singer and actor, husband of Édith Piaf
* Theo Smyrnaeus (fl. 100 CE), Greek philosopher and mathematician (Theon)
* Theo Sommer (1930–2022), German newspaper editor and intellectual
* Theo Timmer (born 1949), Dutch motorcycle racer
* Theo Timmermans (footballer born 1926), Dutch footballer
* Theo Timmermans (born 1989), Dutch footballer
* Theo Von (born 1980), American stand-up comedian, television personality, host, and actor
* Theo Waigel (born 1939), German politician, known as the father of the Euro
* Theo Walcott (born 1989), English footballer
* Theo Zagorakis (born 1971), Greek footballer and politician
* Theo (born 2005), formerly known as Theoz, Swedish influencer and singer
Fictional characters
* Theo, the self-proclaimed 'King of All the Land', protagonist of ''Ultra Jump Mania'' and Tari's first companion in the ''Meta Runner
''Meta Runner'' is an Australian independent-animated eSports action drama web series created by Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul. Produced by Glitch Productions, with funding support from Screen Australia, Crunchyroll, AMD, and Epic Games. The ...
'' web series
* Theo Decker, main character in Donna Tartt's novel ''The Goldfinch''
* Theo Faron, the main character in P.D. James's 1992 novel '' The Children of Men'' and of the 2006 film '' Children of Men'' based on the novel
* Theo, a non-playable Mii opponent in the '' Wii'' series
* Theo Fobius, in the webcomic ''Schlock Mercenary''
* Theo Huxtable, in the sitcom ''The Cosby Show''
* Theo, a character in the animated television series '' Looped''
* Theo Kojak, lead character of the '' Kojak'' television series
* Theo Raeken, a fictional character in the 2011-2017 TV series '' Teen Wolf''
* Theo Saville, one of the main characters on the television series '' A Million Little Things'', son of Eddie and Katherine
See also
* Teo (disambiguation)
* THEO (Testing the Habitability of Enceladus's Ocean), a spacecraft mission to Enceladus
References
{{given name
Masculine given names
Dutch masculine given names
Hypocorisms
English masculine given names