Curious on people’s thoughts around this. We are not huge fans of nicknames, so not sure if the longer “[name]Theodore[/name]” appeals to us, but there’s something about the name [name]Theo[/name] that feels simple and sounds appealing.
We did not choose a more formal name for our current daughter, [name]Lucy[/name], but not sure if [name]Theo[/name] fits into a different category. i.e. [name]Lucy[/name] seems to be a classic name on its own, or else could also be a nn for [name]Lucinda[/name], [name]Lucille[/name], etc… Not sure how classic and stand-alone [name]Theo[/name] can be… or even what category [name]Theo[/name] fits into - - classic? trendy? modern? vintage? biblical? Name means ‘divine gift’???
A lot of people seem to love just [name]Theo[/name], but it’s not really for me. I really like [name]Theodore[/name], but I’ve never been a huge fan of [name]Theo[/name]… I can’t really pinpoint why. I like that a [name]Theodore[/name] would have options between [name]Theodore[/name], [name]Ted[/name], [name]Teddy[/name], and [name]Theo[/name], if he wanted. I’m not sure how to classify it… my first thought was hipster, but I think it has a funky vintage/classic sort of appeal, as well.
as for the category, it seems like a name that would be used by urban parents, its on the trendy side but not so much that it would be #1 soon or seem dated later. it also has a slight vintage feeling
i wouldnt worry about it being too short or nicknamy… think of how common these names are right now: leo, gia, mia, lola, kai, jack, harry,.
the only thing is you could definitely use a longer, more “traditional” middle name if you want the name to be more formal overall…
I think it works either way - on its own or as a nickname for [name]Theodore[/name], [name]Theophilus[/name], [name]Thelonious[/name]/[name]Thelonius[/name], [name]Theron[/name], etc.
I personally prefer [name]Theodore[/name]. It gives them the options of [name]Ted[/name], [name]Teddy[/name], [name]Theo[/name] or [name]Theodore[/name]. With just [name]Theo[/name] that is all they get. With that said though, I think [name]Theo[/name] works just fine on its own they just have fewer options.
I wouldn’t use just [name]Theo[/name], and I much much prefer [name]Theodore[/name] (or even [name]Theon[/name]). Unlike [name]Leo[/name], I don’t think [name]Theo[/name] has a particularly strong history of use a standalone name. However, I would put it in a similarly category as [name]Lucy[/name]: nicknamey, relatively classic & old-fashioned, relatively trendy at the moment.
[name]Hope[/name] that helped
