Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Teddy

Say it TED-ee 2 syllables

Old English · from Edward, “wealth, riches + ward, guard”

Common in England and Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 18 more places.

1 in 200 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 34 there.

Teddy in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 3, rare in 21.
Teddy in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales34 (down)20251,3601 in 200312020
Scotland882025601 in 327882020
Northern Ireland103 (down)2025231 in 360892020
Ireland69 (up)2025841 in 2821072020
North America
Ontario (province)793 (up)202414about 1 in 4,2771,2242019
Quebec (province)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
British Columbia (province)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France1,441 (down)2025201 in 15,1349642020
Netherlands570 (new in the list)202524about 1 in 2,772Not listed2020
Central Europe
AustriaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
SwitzerlandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Berlin (city)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Sweden371 (new in the list)202518about 1 in 2,396Not listed2020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
ItalyRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
PolandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

From Ted with the ending -y comes Teddy. The meaning comes from Edward, built from Old English words for 'wealth, riches' and 'ward, guard'.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, TED-ee, and a warm, cosy sound. Related forms include Edward and Teddie.

Teddy is popular in England and Wales and appears in the lists for Ireland and Scotland. It is rare on the Continent. French records put its peak in the 1980s, but it is rising in most of the places that record it, so this friendly pet form is now a name in its own right.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
TED-ee · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
from Edward, “wealth, riches + ward, guard”
Origin
Old English
Related names
Edward, Teddie
Where Teddy comes from (Wiktionary)

From Ted + -y.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Teddy. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Teddy over time

Rising in 4 of the 8 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 1. Peak in France: 1986.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Teddy in England and Wales: #755 in 1996, a peak of #20 in 2022, and #34 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #755, 20 boys1997: #578, 30 boys1998: #657, 26 boys1999: #544, 35 boys2000: #491, 40 boys2001: #394, 59 boys2002: #301, 91 boys2003: #320, 87 boys2004: #295, 103 boys2005: #268, 121 boys2006: #242, 156 boys2007: #232, 188 boys2008: #241, 184 boys2009: #211, 217 boys2010: #197, 268 boys2011: #156, 380 boys2012: #141, 422 boys2013: #86, 698 boys2014: #66, 1,017 boys2015: #42, 1,430 boys2016: #41, 1,491 boys2017: #39, 1,626 boys2018: #39, 1,663 boys2019: #32, 1,704 boys2020: #31, 1,627 boys2021: #26, 1,875 boys2022: #20, 2,030 boys2023: #23, 1,687 boys2024: #29, 1,506 boys2025: #34, 1,360 boys#755 in 1996peak #20, 2022#34in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199675520
199757830
199865726
199954435
200049140
200139459
200230191
200332087
2004295103
2005268121
2006242156
2007232188
2008241184
2009211217
2010197268
2011156380
2012141422
201386698
2014661,017
2015421,430
2016411,491
2017391,626
2018391,663
2019321,704
2020311,627
2021261,875
2022202,030
2023231,687
2024291,506
2025341,360

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Teddy in France since 1925 were born in or after 1990. Peak: 1986, about 255 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0.3 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0.4 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 1.9 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 2.8 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 2.5 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 4.4 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 3.6 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 9.6 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 42.1 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 99.2 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 171.1 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 244.9 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 217.9 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 153.4 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 118.6 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 63.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 39.2 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 22.8 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 9 per 100,000 boys20202025: 6.6 per 100,000 boys20251985-1989: about 1 in 408 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290.3
1930–19340
1935–19390.4
1940–19441.9
1945–19492.8
1950–19542.5
1955–19594.4
1960–19643.6
1965–19699.6
1970–197442.1
1975–197999.2
1980–1984171.1
1985–1989244.9
1990–1994217.9
1995–1999153.4
2000–2004118.6
2005–200963.8
2010–201439.2
2015–201922.8
2020–20249
20256.6

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Teddy

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Teddy, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 743, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 593, Ireland

  3. 1 in 139, Ireland

  4. 1 in 104, Northern Ireland

  5. 1 in 194, Ireland

  6. 1 in 99, Northern Ireland

  7. 1 in 153, Ireland

  8. 1 in 307, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 688, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 561, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Teddy

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Teddy's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 62, Poland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 137, Scotland

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Teddy Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials T.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Teddy

Sisters for Teddy: Eve, Elodie, Mollie, and 5 more
  1. EveRose and fell with Teddy · Same generation as Teddy
  2. ElodieRose and fell with Teddy · Same generation as Teddy
  3. MollieRose and fell with Teddy · Same generation as Teddy
  4. GeorgieRose and fell with Teddy · Same generation as Teddy
  5. LeilaRose and fell with Teddy · Same generation as Teddy
  6. DaisyRose and fell with Teddy
  7. LucieRose and fell with Teddy · Same generation as Teddy
  8. MargotRose and fell with Teddy · As common as Teddy

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Teddy

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Teddy's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

  2. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  3. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

  4. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

  5. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

Famous people named Teddy

Teddy Sheringham, Teddy Riner, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Teddy

How popular is Teddy in England and Wales?

Teddy ranked #34 in England and Wales in 2025, given to 1,360 boys, about 1 in 200.

Is Teddy rising in popularity?

Yes, in most of the places we can check. Rising in 4 of the 8 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 1. Rising in: Ontario, Ireland, Netherlands, and Sweden.

What does Teddy mean?

Teddy comes from Edward, which means “wealth, riches + ward, guard”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Teddy have?

Teddy has 2 syllables: TED-ee.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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