Theo
Meaning and origin
Short form of Theodor and other names beginning with Theo-, Teo-. First recorded as a given name in Sweden in 1860.
Source: Wiktionary, Swedish entry for Theo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Theo has been fairly steady over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2010. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 27 |
| 1999 | 44 |
| 2000 | 80 |
| 2001 | 106 |
| 2002 | 148 |
| 2003 | 216 |
| 2004 | 271 |
| 2005 | 320 |
| 2006 | 416 |
| 2007 | 451 |
| 2008 | 456 |
| 2009 | 593 |
| 2010 | 714 |
| 2011 | 491 |
| 2012 | 490 |
| 2013 | 444 |
| 2014 | 452 |
| 2015 | 389 |
| 2016 | 381 |
| 2017 | 409 |
| 2018 | 440 |
| 2019 | 447 |
| 2020 | 446 |
| 2021 | 455 |
| 2022 | 426 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Women and girls | Men and boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | – | 327 |
| 2000 | – | 409 |
| 2001 | – | 516 |
| 2002 | – | 663 |
| 2003 | – | 879 |
| 2004 | – | 1,144 |
| 2005 | – | 1,457 |
| 2006 | – | 1,860 |
| 2007 | – | 2,303 |
| 2008 | – | 2,772 |
| 2009 | – | 3,386 |
| 2010 | – | 4,106 |
| 2011 | – | 4,593 |
| 2012 | – | 5,092 |
| 2013 | – | 5,534 |
| 2014 | – | 5,998 |
| 2015 | – | 6,388 |
| 2016 | – | 6,783 |
| 2017 | – | 7,205 |
| 2018 | 12 | 7,661 |
| 2019 | 13 | 8,107 |
| 2020 | 15 | 8,557 |
Theo in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Theo.Hi! My name is Theo.
- Theo ringde och sa att han blir lite sen.Theo called and said he'll be a bit late.
- Theo har bott i Uppsala i tre år.Theo has lived in Uppsala for three years.
- Theos mamma är lärare.Theo's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Theos mamma is Theo's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Theo
How do you pronounce Theo in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Theo from a native speaker's recording.
What does the name Theo mean?
Short form of Theodor and other names beginning with Theo-, Teo-. First recorded as a given name in Sweden in 1860.
How popular is Theo in Sweden?
426 babies were named Theo in 2022. In 2020, 8,572 people in Sweden had Theo as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been fairly steady lately and peaked in 2010 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.