How popular is the baby name Theodora in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Theodora.

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Popularity of the baby name Theodora


Posts that mention the name Theodora

Pop culture baby name game, 2013

pop culture baby name game 2013

Every year on Britney Spears’s birthday (December 2) we start another round of the annual Pop Culture Baby Name Game.

What is the Pop Culture Baby Name Game, you ask? Good question! It’s not a “game” really, but more of a group brainstorm. We try to guess which baby names became more popular during the year thanks to pop culture — music, movies, television, sports, politics, current events, products, etc.

I’ve searched for all the 2013 predictions we’ve made so far (in posts & comments) and listed them below. I also threw in a few more possibilities — mostly celebrity baby names. So here’s what we’re starting with:

  • Ace – Jessica Simpson’s baby boy, born in June
  • Armand or Armie – Lone Ranger actor Armand “Armie” Hammer
  • Axl – Fergie’s baby boy, born in August
  • Bailey (per skizzo) – Grey’s Anatomy baby
  • Benedict (per Rita) – Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Bilbo (per elbowin) – The Hobbit character
  • Cressida or Cressie – Prince Harry’s girlfriend Cressida “Cressie” Bonas
  • Cricket – Busy Philipps’s baby girl, born in July
  • Cypher – After Earth character
  • D’Ussé – Jay Z-endorsed cognac
  • Elon – Tesla founder Elon Musk
  • Evanora (per skizzo) – Oz the Great and Powerful character
  • Everly – Channing Tatum’s baby girl, born in May
  • Evo (per elbowin) – Bolivian president Evo Morales
  • Fantine – Les Mis character (especially since the Oscars)
  • Finley (per skizzo) – Oz the Great and Powerful character
  • Francesco, Francis, Francisco – Pope Francis, elected in March
  • Gatsby (per skizzo) – movie The Great Gatsby
  • George – Kate and William’s royal baby boy, born in July
  • Harley (per skizzo) – Iron Man character
  • Kitai – After Earth character
  • Ladar (per elbowin) – Lavabit owner Ladar Levison
  • Lincoln – movie Lincoln
  • Lula – Bryan Adams’s baby girl, born in February
  • Luna – Penelope Cruz’s baby girl, born in July
  • Macklemore – rapper Macklemore
  • Malala – young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai
  • Marnie – Lily Allen’s baby girl, born in January
  • Milan – Shakira’s baby boy, born in January
  • Minaj – singer Nicki Minaj
  • Neymar (per Rita) – Brazillian football player Neymar
  • North or Nori – Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s baby girl, born in June
  • Philomena – movie Philomena
  • Quvenzhané (per Rita) – child actress Quvenzhané Wallis
  • Rainbow – Holly Madison’s baby girl, born in March
  • Robin (per Rita) – singer Robin Thicke
  • Snowden – NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
  • Tesla – Tesla cars
  • Tessanne – The Voice contestant winner Tessanne Chin
  • Thatcher (per Rita) – Margaret Thatcher, died in April
  • Theodora (per skizzo) – Oz the Great and Powerful character
  • Turbo – movie Turbo
  • Wendy – Texas politician Wendy Davis
  • Winnie – Jimmy Fallon’s baby girl, born in July
  • Yeezus or Yeezy – Kanye West album Yeezus
  • Zoella – beauty blogger Zoella

Wanna play? Tell me in the comments which baby names you think got a boost from pop culture in 2013. Don’t forget to mention the reason.

I’ll post the results of the game after the SSA updates the national baby name data in May. If you don’t want to miss the results post, subscribe to the blog!

Previous rounds of the Pop Culture Baby Name Game: 2012, 2011 #1, 2011 #2, 2010

Anagram baby names (8 letters long)

Anagram baby names (8 letters)

Looking for a set of baby names with something in common? If so, here are some 8-letter anagram names for you to check out!

Anagrams are words that contain the same set of letters, but not in the same sequence. For instance, the words “predator,” “parroted,” and “teardrop” are all anagrams of one another.

Anagram names can be a neat option for siblings — particularly multiples (like twins and triplets). They’re also a clever way to connect a baby name to the name of an older relative (e.g., grandpa Laurence, grandson Cerulean).

Below are hundreds of eight-letter names (collected from the SSA’s huge database of U.S. baby names) that happen to be anagrams of other names.

Eight-letter anagram names

  • Adrianne, Adrienna, Andreina, Derianna
  • Aleighna, Analeigh, Leighana, Naleigha
  • Anberlyn, Braelynn, Brealynn, Brynnlea
  • Azaliyah, Azayliah, Zaaliyah, Zalaiyah
  • Illyanna, Laylanni, Lilyanna, Lylianna
  • Natahlia, Nataliah, Nathalia, Thaliana
  • Aashirya, Aashriya, Saraiyah
  • Aashrith, Ashritha, Harshita
  • Adilynne, Naidelyn, Naydelin
  • Adrianna, Andriana, Darianna
  • Adrionna, Darionna, Dorianna
  • Aliyahna, Analiyah, Nalaiyah
  • Amairany, Amayrani, Mariyana
  • Anayelli, Elliyana, Laylanie
  • Arabelle, Bellarae, Erabella
  • Ariyanna, Narayani, Yarianna
  • Ashlynne, Shaelynn, Shealynn
  • Aurellia, Auriella, Laurelai
  • Breelynn, Brennley, Brynnlee
  • Brielynn, Brinnley, Brynnlie
  • Caroline, Coraline, Cornelia
  • Illianna, Lailanni, Lilianna
  • Jarmaine, Marijane, Mirajane
  • Kailanny, Kaylanni, Kylianna
  • Karoline, Koraline, Kornelia
  • Ladamien, Madaline, Madelina
  • Aadhiran, Adrianah
  • Aaryansh, Sharanya
  • Abriella, Aribella
  • Abrielle, Aribelle
  • Adaleigh, Gedaliah
  • Adelilah, Delailah
  • Adoniram, Damarion
  • Adriella, Dariella
  • Adrielle, Darielle
  • Adrielys, Darielys
  • Adryanna, Daryanna
  • Ahlaysia, Alayshia
  • Aishleen, Shailene
  • Aliannah, Annaliah
  • Aliciana, Analicia
  • Allyanna, Laylanna
  • Alysiana, Nalaysia
  • Amariana, Anamaria
  • Amarilis, Marialis
  • Amberlee, Emberlea
  • Ameliyah, Maleiyah
  • Analilia, Lailiana
  • Annmaria, Marianna
  • Annmarie, Marianne
  • Antonios, Santonio
  • Aracelli, Aricella
  • Aurielle, Laurelei
  • Avrielle, Vallerie
  • Azrielle, Zarielle
  • Azriella, Zariella
  • Camarion, Marciano
  • Carmelia, Maricela
  • Carmella, Marcella
  • Carmelle, Marcelle
  • Carmello, Marcello
  • Carolyne, Coralyne
  • Carolynn, Coralynn
  • Catarino, Catriona
  • Cerulean, Laurence
  • Charissa, Issachar
  • Charizma, Chizaram
  • Claudine, Dulcinea
  • Deadrian, Deandria
  • Delorian, Reinaldo
  • Devanshi, Vedanshi
  • Dorothea, Theodora
  • Eliantte, Lianette
  • Elizabel, Izabelle
  • Ellianna, Lelianna
  • Ellinore, Norielle
  • Elnathan, Nathanel
  • Erioluwa, Ireoluwa
  • Halleigh, Leighlah
  • Harshini, Inshirah
  • Jilliana, Lilijana
  • Kailynne, Keilanny
  • Kamaiyah, Makaiyah
  • Kamellia, Mikaella
  • Kamilyah, Mikaylah
  • Karmella, Markella
  • Kaylanee, Kayleena
  • Kayleigh, Kyleigha
  • Kellyann, Lakelynn
  • Leandros, Lesandro
  • Leightyn, Tynleigh
  • Leilanni, Lilianne
  • Leilanny, Lilyanne
  • Lemarcus, Marcelus
  • Leylanie, Yanellie
  • Lisandro, Rosalind
  • Makenzie, Mazikeen
  • Malikhai, Mikhaila
  • Maribell, Mirabell
  • Nylarose, Rosealyn
  • Olivette, Violette
  • Reeyansh, Shreeyan
  • Reighlyn, Rynleigh
  • Reyaansh, Shreyaan
  • Rishitha, Srihitha
  • Rithanya, Traniyah
  • Rosaline, Roselina
  • Shanvika, Vanshika
  • Shriyaan, Yarishna

Which pairing/group do you like best? Let me know in the comments!

To see anagram names of other lengths, check out these lists of 3-letter anagram names, 4-letter anagram names, 5-letter anagram names, 6-letter anagram names, and 7-letter anagram names.

[Latest update: April 2023]

Where did the baby name Morella come from in 1923?

The characters Theodora and Hector (played by Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino) from the movie "Beyond the Rocks" (1922)
Theodora and Hector from “Beyond the Rocks“

The rare name Morella has only appeared in the U.S. baby name data a handful of times, starting in 1923:

  • 1925: unlisted
  • 1924: unlisted
  • 1923: 5 baby girls named Morella [debut]
  • 1922: unlisted
  • 1921: unlisted

Data from the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) shows a similarly small spike in usage that year:

  • 1925: 2 people with the first name Morella
  • 1924: 0 people with the first name Morella
  • 1923: 5 people with the first name Morella
  • 1922: 0 people with the first name Morella
  • 1921: 1 people with the first name Morella

What was the influence?

A secondary character from the silent film Beyond the Rocks (1922), which happens to be the only movie that featured Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson together as co-stars.

The main character, Theodora (played by Swanson), was a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to an middle-aged millionaire. She couldn’t help but fall in love with the dashing Hector, Lord Bracondale (played by Valentino) — especially after he rescued her twice (first from drowning, then from falling off a cliff in the Alps).

Morella Winmarleigh (played by Gertrude Astor), however, wished to have Hector all to herself. So, toward the end of the film, she tried to thwart their relationship by retrieving two of Theodora’s outgoing letters — one to Hector, the other to the millionaire husband — and switching the contents before returning them to the mailbox.

Though Morella wasn’t one of the good guys in the film, audiences would have seen her unusual name on-screen repeatedly, thanks to the intertitles. And that was enough to have a slight influence on U.S. baby names. (The names Hector and Theodora, both of which ranked well inside the top 1,000 in the early 1920s, were seemingly unaffected.)

The film was based on the romance novel Beyond the Rocks (1906) by Elinor Glyn.

What are your thoughts on the name Morella?

Sources: Beyond the Rocks (1922) – TCM, Beyond the Rocks (film) – Wikipedia, SSA

Baby name needed: Boy or girl name for Liam’s sibling

A reader named Marg is expecting her second child (gender unknown) and would like some name suggestions. Her first is a boy named Liam Isaac. She says:

For a girls name I am really loving the name Eden, but don’t have a middle name for it yet?

But its really with the boys names that we are stuck. We live in Canada, but both come from families that have immigrated from Holland, and the dutch culture is a big part of our family and our traditions. We actually named Liam after my Opa, William, but wanted to shorten it to Liam.

Anyway, all that to say that we do like some Dutch names, such as Johan (which is already taken by a family member) Hendrik (ditto) and Theo. Theo we both actually REALLY like but it reminds us of two people that we really are not big fans of, and we’re not sure we can get over that.

My first thought was: Don’t give up on Theo! Not-so-hot name associations can sometimes be overridden when you give the name to a baby (who will mean a lot more to you than those two other people combined–a much stronger association). Doesn’t work for everyone, but has worked for some.

Because Liam is a take on William, maybe Henry for Hendrik, or Hans for Johan? I think “Liam and Henry” is especially cute.

Here are a few other boy names that might work (many are also found in Dutch):

Adam
Alexander/Alex
Benjamin
Caleb
Felix
Gabriel
Jacob
Jonas
Joseph
Max		Nathan
Nicholas
Noah
Owen
Paul
Philip/Filip
Robert/Robin
Samuel
Simon
Thomas

As far as middles for Eden go, I think I’d opt for something decidedly feminine:

Abigail
Amelia
Charlotte
Elizabeth
Felicia
Harriet*
Henrietta*		Johanna*
Katrina
Michelle
Olivia
Sabrina
Sophia
Theodora*

*Family-inspired

Which of the above names do you like best for Liam’s younger sibling? What other names would you suggest to Marg?