Theodore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The Welsh name Theodore comes from the personal name Tudur, an ancient Celtic name of unknown meaning. It is thought that the name, especially the form Tewdwr, may have also emerged as a Welsh version of the Latin Theodorus.

Early Origins of the Theodore family

The surname Theodore was first found in Herefordshire, where Tudor Trevor was Lord of Hereford, Whittington, and both Maelors. He was founder of the Tribe of the Marches, born in Denbigh, son of Ynyr Ap Cadforch, whose descendants intermarried with the distinguished families of North Wales.

Theodore (602?-690), was Archbishop of Canterbury, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia. "He studied at Athens, had a scholarly knowledge of Greek and Latin, and was well versed in sacred and profane literature and in philosophy, which caused him to receive the surname 'Philosopher.' At the time of Theodore's arrival the English church lacked order, administrative organisation, discipline, and culture. " 1

Early History of the Theodore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Theodore research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1401, 1406, 1411, 1485, 1486, 1499, 1500, 1502 and 1503 are included under the topic Early Theodore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Theodore Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Theodore has occasionally been spelled Tudor, Tudyr Tuder, Tudar and others.

Early Notables of the Theodore family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Maredydd ap Tudur (Meredith Tudor) (died 1406), Welsh soldier and nobleman from the Tudor family of Penmynydd and Owen Tudor's father, supported the 1400 Welsh uprising of his first cousin Owain Glyndwr, following the demise of Glyndwr's revolt, much of the Tudor family's lands at Penmynydd and elsewhere were forfeited to the English Crown; Rhys ap Tudur (died 1411), a Welsh nobleman and a key figure in the revolt of Owain Glyndwr, held the offices of sheriff and escheator of Anglesey as well as the Forester of Snowdon, outbreak of the...
Another 162 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Theodore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Theodore Ranking

In the United States, the name Theodore is the 9,078^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Theodore is ranked the 7,941^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 3

Theodore migration to the United States +

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families that survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Theodore:

Theodore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J Theodore, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Amherst Theodore, aged 32, who arrived in New York, NY in 1852 4

Theodore migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Theodore Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Michel Theodore, who arrived in Montreal in 1653

Contemporary Notables of the name Theodore (post 1700) +

Theodore Theodore, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 5th District, 1948 5
Nick Andrew Theodore, American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate 3rd District, 1967-68 5
Millard E. Theodore, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 2nd District, 1930-34 5
King Kassai Theodore (1816-1868), king of Abyssinia
Bernhard Theodore Mittemeyer (1930-2023), United States Army lieutenant general, Surgeon General of the United States Army from 1981 to 1985
Irvine Theodore Shillingford (1944-2023), West Indian cricketer who played four Tests and two ODIs in 1977 and 1978
Alfred Theodore Goodwin (1923-2022), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1991-2022), Judge in the Pledge of Allegiance case
Erich Theodore Barnes (1935-2022), American NFL football defensive back, a six-time Pro Bowler (1958-1971)
Paul Theodore Hellyer (1923-2021), Canadian engineer, politician, writer, and commentator, the longest serving member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada at the time of his death
Ezra Theodore Newman (1929-2021), American physicist, known for his many contributions to general relativity theory, awarded the 2011 Einstein Prize from the American Physical Society:

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html