Thirty years of Theo
Theo in numbers
Theo has risen from 120 boys in 1996 to 2,398 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 2,808 in 2022. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2005 and 2008, from 467 to 1,295. It ranked 243rd in 1996, reached 9th in 2022 and ranks 12th now. On average it was given to 133 boys a year in the late 1990s, 652 in the 2000s, 2,075 in the 2010s and 2,532 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+0%2,387 to 2,398
- 5 years-8%2,598 to 2,398
- 10 years+14%2,103 to 2,398
- 20 years+413%467 to 2,398
- Since 1996×20120 to 2,398
- Total, 1996 to 202542,992boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 12 · ONS · 2,387 in 2024
Rank 6 · NRS · 270 in 2024
Rank 7 · NISRA · 125 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 2,398 | +0% | 1 in 125 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2,387 | -4% | 1 in 128 |
| 2023 | 11 | 2,489 | -11% | 1 in 122 |
| 2022 | 9 | 2,808 | +12% | 1 in 111 |
| 2021 | 15 | 2,514 | -3% | 1 in 127 |
| 2020 | 17 | 2,598 | -5% | 1 in 121 |
| 2019 | 16 | 2,729 | -0% | 1 in 121 |
| 2018 | 19 | 2,741 | +5% | 1 in 123 |
| 2017 | 21 | 2,616 | +15% | 1 in 133 |
| 2016 * | 29 | 2,279 | +8% | 1 in 156 |
| 2015 | 33 | 2,103 | +5% | 1 in 170 |
| 2014 | 37 | 2,008 | +14% | 1 in 178 |
| 2013 | 41 | 1,759 | +8% | 1 in 204 |
| 2012 | 44 | 1,629 | +16% | 1 in 230 |
| 2011 | 50 | 1,407 | -5% | 1 in 264 |
| 2010 | 50 | 1,478 | +12% | 1 in 251 |
| 2009 | 55 | 1,323 | +2% | 1 in 274 |
| 2008 | 58 | 1,295 | +33% | 1 in 280 |
| 2007 | 73 | 974 | +30% | 1 in 364 |
| 2006 | 91 | 751 | +61% | 1 in 456 |
| 2005 | 118 | 467 | -4% | 1 in 708 |
| 2004 | =113 | 485 | +26% | 1 in 677 |
| 2003 | 126 | 385 | +21% | 1 in 827 |
| 2002 | 137 | 317 | +10% | 1 in 965 |
| 2001 | 142 | 289 | +25% | 1 in 1,054 |
| 2000 | =156 | 232 | +60% | 1 in 1,335 |
| 1999 | =212 | 145 | +10% | 1 in 2,202 |
| 1998 | 231 | 132 | -1% | 1 in 2,469 |
| 1997 | =229 | 134 | +12% | 1 in 2,459 |
| 1996 | =243 | 120 | 1 in 2,779 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Theo
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Theo is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Theo is in our lists: Short baby names.