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Teddy

Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.

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Meaning

God and gift, in the Theodore-linked tradition.

The handbook documents Teddy as a short form of Theodor, whose heading includes Theodore. The Greek parent-name elements refer to god and gift. This remains separate from the Edward route. This describes a documented naming tradition, not every independent use or a bearer's personality. English pronunciation is not inferred from these etymological sources.

Wealth and guardian, in the Edward-linked tradition.

The handbook documents Teddy as a short form of Edvard; the Edward heading explicitly includes Edvard. The Old English parent-name elements refer to wealth or property and guardian. This remains separate from the Theodore route. This describes a documented naming tradition, not every independent use or a bearer's personality. English pronunciation is not inferred from these etymological sources.

Origin

English diminutive, with Edward and Theodore routes

The exact entry derives Teddy from Ted plus the diminutive ending -y. The parent-name route depends on the family's choice; the spelling alone does not establish one ancestry.

English pronunciation

/ˈtɛdi/

English given-name pronunciation.

Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.

Published name usage

Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.

Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
PlaceYearRecorded usagePublished birthsRankNotes
Canada2024Girls533832025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Canada2025Boys41 · preliminary6762025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France1985Girls5 (rounded to 5)3178Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
France2025Boys20 (rounded to 5)1479Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales2025Girls73333Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales2025Boys1,36034Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland2025Boys23103Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland2025Boys6088Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland2025Boys8469Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States2025Girls562957Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States2025Boys301819Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.

Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.

Sources & notes

Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.

Meaning: God and gift, in the Theodore-linked tradition.

Checked against cited source

The handbook documents Teddy as a short form of Theodor, whose heading includes Theodore. The Greek parent-name elements refer to god and gift. This remains separate from the Edward route. This describes a documented naming tradition, not every independent use or a bearer's personality. English pronunciation is not inferred from these etymological sources. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Isof, 2026). Source: https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=375, https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=377. License: Original factual summary; source rights retained (https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf). Copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names wrote an original brief English explanation, preserving conditional routes and uncertainty; no source passages, images or recordings are reproduced.

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Original factual summary; source rights retained

Meaning: Wealth and guardian, in the Edward-linked tradition.

Checked against cited source

The handbook documents Teddy as a short form of Edvard; the Edward heading explicitly includes Edvard. The Old English parent-name elements refer to wealth or property and guardian. This remains separate from the Theodore route. This describes a documented naming tradition, not every independent use or a bearer's personality. English pronunciation is not inferred from these etymological sources. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Isof, 2026). Source: https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=375, https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=124. License: Original factual summary; source rights retained (https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf). Copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names wrote an original brief English explanation, preserving conditional routes and uncertainty; no source passages, images or recordings are reproduced.

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Original factual summary; source rights retained

Name history: Short form of Edward or Theodore

Checked against cited source

The entry records Teddy as a diminutive of Edward and Theodore, or of Ted and Tedd. This describes the documented given-name formation rather than supplying one universal literal translation. The parent names have distinct histories. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Short form of: Edward

Checked against cited source

English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Short form of: Theodore

Checked against cited source

English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Origin: English diminutive, with Edward and Theodore routes

Checked against cited source

The exact entry derives Teddy from Ted plus the diminutive ending -y. The parent-name route depends on the family's choice; the spelling alone does not establish one ancestry. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

English pronunciation: /ˈtɛdi/

Checked against cited source

English given-name pronunciation.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Spelling variant: Teddie

Checked against cited source

English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

country_CA

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country_FR

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country_IE

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Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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(C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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U.S. Social Security Administration

Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration

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Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

License: Statistics Canada Open Licence

Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

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Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

License: CC BY 4.0

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.

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Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.

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