Ted is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ted means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ted across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ted has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ted is a boy name of Greek origin meaning “gift of God”. A pet form of Theodore or Edward.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 75,424 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,964 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 75 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 96 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 582 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ted per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1958 (1,748/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2015 (379/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2021 (70/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2021 (15/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2021 (9/yr).
Ted has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1958, when it ranked #369 nationally (given to 1,748 babies that year).
Todd · Teddy · Tod · Tad · Dede · Teddie · Tedd · Tadd
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