Ted
Ted was the 3229th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 37 babies. Its best year was 1935, when it ranked 144th; the most babies were born in 1958 (1,743). Over the last ten years it has moved down 631 places. More babies were named Ted in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Edward or Theodore · English, Old English, Greek
Say it TED /tɛd/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,229 boys, up 32 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 37boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19581,743 babies
- Total since 1880
- 75,424babies recorded
What does the name Ted mean?
Ted is a pet form of Edward and of Theodore, and is also used for Edmund, Edwin and Thaddeus. Edward is Old English, from ēad, "riches, prosperity", and weard, "guard"; Theodore is Greek, "gift of God". The form probably arose from Ed with a changed first sound, as Ned did. Ted has been an independent name since the 19th century; Teddy is its diminutive, made famous by Theodore Roosevelt.
ēad (Old English, “riches, prosperity”)weard (Old English, “guard”)θεός + δῶρον (Ancient Greek, “god + gift”)
How sure is this? Well established. Ted has no single meaning: it carries the meaning of whichever full name it shortens.
Related names: Teddy, Edward, Theodore, Ed, Ned.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ted', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Edward', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Theodore', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Ted (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Ted
The usual nicknames for Ted are Teddy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Ted in the last five years, 576 were named Teddy, against 92 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teddy · also for Theodore, Edward | Traditional | #823 | 1,169 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Teds go by each one.
Ted popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 264 since 1905.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,229 | 37 |
| 2020 | #3,261 | 35 |
| 2010 | #1,814 | 81 |
| 2000 | #1,333 | 97 |
| 1990 | #644 | 249 |
| 1980 | #430 | 364 |
| 1970 | #246 | 944 |
| 1960 | #184 | 1,695 |
| 1950 | #170 | 1,355 |
| 1940 | #159 | 1,047 |
| 1930 | #156 | 983 |
| 1920 | #231 | 545 |
| 1910 | #204 | 127 |
| 1900 | #234 | 75 |
| 1890 | #414 | 20 |
| 1880 | #521 | 13 |
How popular is Ted, counting every spelling?
Ted has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Ted?
37 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ted (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ted born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 226 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ted.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ted?
About 38,500 people born in the US named Ted are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 55 and 73. That makes Ted a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ted by state
How common Ted was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ted: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ted, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ted · Sibling names for Ted
Ted is also a nickname for Theodore, Edward and Edmund.
Questions about the name Ted
What does Ted mean?
Ted means “short form of Edward or Theodore” (English, Old English, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ted?
Ted was the 3229th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 37 babies. Its best year was 1935, when it ranked 144th; the most babies were born in 1958 (1,743). Over the last ten years it has moved down 631 places. More babies were named Ted in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Ted a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Ted in the US.
Where is Ted most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ted was most common in New York (0.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and California.