German form of Theodore, from Greek meaning 'gift of God.'
Theodor — the continental European spelling of Theodore — carries its meaning in plain sight: from the Greek theos (god) and doron (gift), it announces itself as a name of devotion and grace. The form without the final 'e' is standard in German, Scandinavian, and Central European naming traditions, and carries with it a slight shift in weight — a bit more formal, a bit more Old World, compared to its American cousin.
The name was borne by saints, emperors, and scholars across medieval Europe, and it entered the modern era with considerable philosophical heft through Theodor Adorno, the German-Jewish philosopher and musicologist whose critical theory helped define twentieth-century intellectual life. Yet Theodor's most beloved bearer may well be Theodor Seuss Geisel — known to the world as Dr. Seuss — who used his middle name as part of his pen name and, in doing so, made it synonymous with anarchic imagination, subversive wordplay, and the conviction that children's literature should never condescend to children.
That legacy is extraordinary: a name associated equally with Frankfurt School critical theory and the Cat in the Hat. For parents, the spelling Theodor offers the warmth of Theo as a natural nickname while signaling a European sophistication and a love of cultural history.