Ted

Did you know?

A few things about Ted you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ted

Ted Danson

American actor (born 1947)

Choose Ted and your child shares a first name with Ted Danson, an American actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ted, like who?” Ted Danson's Wikipedia article is available in 50 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ted Danson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Rob Dicaterino, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 46,083 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Ted, 37 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ted would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryTed has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Teds, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1936, when it ranked #144. Today it's #3,181, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowTed was 2.3× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 20,243 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 46,083.
• 🚀TrendTed has climbed 21 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #3,181. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningTed is an English form of Theodore, which means “gift of God”. Our records link it to English and Greek roots.

About the name Ted

Ted is a boy name of English and Greek origin meaning “gift of God”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with T and ending in “-ted”. US birth records list Ted for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1936, when it ranked #144 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #3,181, with 37 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek names