Theophilus
Theophilus was given to 57 boys in 2025, #2,417 among boys’ names; 2,448 Americans have been recorded with it since 1882 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 1,710 Americans named Theophilus and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (70% of everyone recorded); the median is 24 years old and half are between 9 and 51.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Theophilus by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Theophilus mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Theophilus is “a male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek]; rare in English.” Its etymology gives the senses “love of God” (meaning) and “friend of God” (or).
From Middle English Theophilus, from Latin Theophilus, from Ancient Greek Θεόφιλος (Theóphilos), meaning “love of God” or “friend of God”.
/θiːˈɒfɪləs/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Theophilus?
#2,417 among boys’ names, 2025
Theophilus rose from #3,357 in 2015 to #2,417 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 17.7 to 33.4 per million.
68 babies in 2022, the peak
Theophilus peaked in 2022, when 68 boys were given it, #2,165 among boys’ names. The 57 births of 2025 are 84% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per million boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 57 | #2,417 | 33.4 |
| 2024 | 65 | #2,231 | 37.7 |
| 2023 | 63 | #2,271 | 36.8 |
| 2022 | 68 | #2,165 | 38.9 |
| 2021 | 44 | #2,854 | 25.2 |
| 2020 | 43 | #2,836 | 24.9 |
| 2019 | 42 | #2,937 | 23.4 |
| 2018 | 49 | #2,614 | 27.0 |
| 2017 | 40 | #3,000 | 21.6 |
| 2016 | 48 | #2,618 | 25.3 |
Every recorded year (124)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per million boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 34 | #3,357 | 17.7 |
| 2014 | 39 | #2,976 | 20.3 |
| 2013 | 38 | #2,989 | 20.1 |
| 2012 | 36 | #3,164 | 19.0 |
| 2011 | 18 | #5,173 | 9.5 |
| 2010 | 16 | #5,705 | 8.3 |
| 2009 | 17 | #5,526 | 8.6 |
| 2008 | 19 | #5,044 | 9.3 |
| 2007 | 26 | #3,989 | 12.5 |
| 2006 | 17 | #5,272 | 8.3 |
| 2005 | 24 | #3,929 | 12.0 |
| 2004 | 17 | #4,981 | 8.6 |
| 2003 | 27 | #3,429 | 13.7 |
| 2002 | 20 | #4,165 | 10.3 |
| 2001 | 16 | #4,863 | 8.2 |
| 2000 | 21 | #3,895 | 10.7 |
| 1999 | 24 | #3,357 | 12.5 |
| 1998 | 24 | #3,286 | 12.6 |
| 1997 | 23 | #3,247 | 12.2 |
| 1996 | 16 | #4,165 | 8.4 |
| 1995 | 10 | #5,873 | 5.3 |
| 1994 | 14 | #4,506 | 7.2 |
| 1993 | 13 | #4,663 | 6.6 |
| 1992 | 20 | #3,321 | 10.0 |
| 1991 | 12 | #4,728 | 5.9 |
| 1990 | 17 | #3,583 | 8.3 |
| 1989 | 14 | #4,000 | 7.0 |
| 1988 | 23 | #2,585 | 12.0 |
| 1987 | 14 | #3,487 | 7.5 |
| 1986 | 13 | #3,628 | 7.1 |
| 1985 | 13 | #3,578 | 7.0 |
| 1984 | 12 | #3,668 | 6.6 |
| 1983 | 13 | #3,397 | 7.3 |
| 1982 | 17 | #2,815 | 9.4 |
| 1981 | 22 | #2,327 | 12.3 |
| 1980 | 16 | #2,945 | 9.0 |
| 1979 | 19 | #2,558 | 11.0 |
| 1978 | 15 | #2,914 | 9.1 |
| 1977 | 32 | #1,703 | 19.5 |
| 1976 | 11 | #3,458 | 7.0 |
| 1975 | 22 | #2,123 | 14.1 |
| 1974 | 15 | #2,660 | 9.5 |
| 1973 | 15 | #2,595 | 9.6 |
| 1972 | 15 | #2,523 | 9.3 |
| 1971 | 20 | #2,114 | 11.3 |
| 1970 | 11 | #3,052 | 5.9 |
| 1969 | 13 | #2,537 | 7.3 |
| 1968 | 14 | #2,301 | 8.1 |
| 1967 | 19 | #1,849 | 10.9 |
| 1966 | 17 | #1,958 | 9.5 |
| 1965 | 18 | #1,911 | 9.7 |
| 1964 | 11 | #2,649 | 5.5 |
| 1963 | 13 | #2,402 | 6.4 |
| 1962 | 13 | #2,352 | 6.3 |
| 1961 | 12 | #2,529 | 5.6 |
| 1960 | 16 | #2,110 | 7.5 |
| 1959 | 16 | #2,099 | 7.5 |
| 1958 | 17 | #2,016 | 8.0 |
| 1957 | 27 | #1,544 | 12.5 |
| 1956 | 18 | #1,940 | 8.5 |
| 1955 | 24 | #1,605 | 11.7 |
| 1954 | 28 | #1,462 | 13.7 |
| 1953 | 20 | #1,761 | 10.1 |
| 1952 | 21 | #1,695 | 10.8 |
| 1951 | 21 | #1,675 | 11.2 |
| 1950 | 22 | #1,609 | 12.3 |
| 1949 | 25 | #1,496 | 14.1 |
| 1948 | 25 | #1,483 | 14.2 |
| 1947 | 19 | #1,782 | 10.4 |
| 1946 | 18 | #1,751 | 11.1 |
| 1945 | 13 | #2,002 | 9.7 |
| 1944 | 14 | #1,976 | 10.3 |
| 1943 | 9 | #2,715 | 6.3 |
| 1942 | 12 | #2,255 | 8.7 |
| 1941 | 7 | #3,108 | 5.7 |
| 1940 | 10 | #2,464 | 8.6 |
| 1939 | 9 | #2,597 | 8.1 |
| 1938 | 17 | #1,736 | 15.3 |
| 1937 | 10 | #2,467 | 9.4 |
| 1936 | 11 | #2,288 | 10.6 |
| 1935 | 8 | #2,921 | 7.7 |
| 1934 | 15 | #1,923 | 14.5 |
| 1933 | 16 | #1,824 | 16.1 |
| 1932 | 12 | #2,307 | 11.5 |
| 1931 | 19 | #1,686 | 18.3 |
| 1930 | 18 | #1,812 | 16.4 |
| 1929 | 17 | #1,921 | 15.8 |
| 1928 | 15 | #2,150 | 13.5 |
| 1927 | 19 | #1,865 | 16.9 |
| 1926 | 12 | #2,552 | 10.8 |
| 1925 | 17 | #2,000 | 15.2 |
| 1924 | 30 | #1,379 | 26.5 |
| 1923 | 10 | #2,916 | 9.1 |
| 1922 | 22 | #1,690 | 20.2 |
| 1921 | 28 | #1,446 | 25.4 |
| 1920 | 21 | #1,739 | 19.7 |
| 1919 | 24 | #1,527 | 24.5 |
| 1918 | 24 | #1,530 | 23.7 |
| 1917 | 20 | #1,687 | 21.6 |
| 1916 | 15 | #2,035 | 16.9 |
| 1915 | 20 | #1,596 | 23.6 |
| 1914 | 15 | #1,676 | 22.9 |
| 1913 | 15 | #1,429 | 29.3 |
| 1912 | 7 | #2,246 | 16.3 |
| 1911 | 9 | #1,284 | 39.8 |
| 1910 | 7 | #1,409 | 36.0 |
| 1909 | 7 | #1,264 | 42.7 |
| 1907 | 6 | #1,329 | 40.9 |
| 1904 | 6 | #1,188 | 46.8 |
| 1901 | 6 | #1,047 | 56.4 |
| 1888 | 5 | #1,168 | 41.4 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,086 | 46.4 |
| 1884 | 5 | #1,109 | 43.7 |
| 1882 | 5 | #1,079 | 44.0 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Theophilus a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Theophilus has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 124 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Theophilus: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Theophilus, and how old are they?
1,710 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 70% of the 2,448 Americans ever recorded as Theophilus. The median Theophilus alive today is 24 years old; half are between 9 and 51.
The 2020 Census counted 1,790 people named Theophilus (6 women and girls, 1,784 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 1,473 born in the U.S. The Census count is 22% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 40 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 236 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 240 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 231 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 339 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 625 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
More about Theophilus and names like it
- The most given names of the 2020sTheophilus peaked in 2022.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Theophilus since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Theophilus: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2022The year the most babies were named Theophilus.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Theophilus alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with TMost given first.