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Original poster

Will Theo go the way of Oscar?

54 replies

EmilyGilmore · 14/01/2010 12:23

I know it's "on the up" but do you think it will become like Oscar - ten a penny and (that great MN fear) straddling the classes

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Annabelsmummie · 15/01/2010 11:42

I like Theo, but it has indeed become very, very popular round here (Surrey), so if you want a more unique name, I'd reconsider.

Bucharest · 15/01/2010 11:46

I agree with pps who have said it's the opposite way round.

Oscar is popular, but still quite posh. Theo is not.

CuppaTeaJanice · 15/01/2010 11:48

100% of the baby boys I've known in the last 6 months have been called Theo.

That's only 2 though, seems to be all girls coming at the moment.

Heated · 15/01/2010 11:49

Plenty of Theos at dh's school, no Oscars. He teaches in the ghetto

gramercy · 15/01/2010 11:59

Was going to call dd Theo if she'd been a boy. Thank goodness we didn't, as it's flippin' teeming with them round here now.

Is there something subliminal going on with name choices? Why is it that after spending virtually nine months searching for that elusive rare yet classy name, you find that 200 other local people have arrived at exactly the same choice at exactly the same time?

GhoulsAreLoud · 15/01/2010 12:01

Don't know but I like Nate and Nathaniel better.

timinyday · 15/01/2010 12:10

Oscar is very popular in my neck of the woods. Eastenders can't have helped.
Yes it has straddled the classes, if my experience is anything to go by.

hulabula · 15/01/2010 14:03

Oscar very popular here in Surrey, but I know only under 3s, so I suspect it is still gaining popularity.

persephoneplum · 16/01/2010 03:28

I've never met another Theo in our area of Sydney, but my eldest son (not Theo - he's the youngest) is starting school in a few weeks and I noticed there's going to be a Theo in his class! Mine is Theodore though and I do use his full name a lot.

I have a habit of picking names I think are quite rare, then discover they're very popular in the UK.

I've come to terms with it though and if we ever have a third son I'd like to name him Sebastian which is WAY more popular than my first son's names.

PeachesMac · 16/01/2010 19:01

I love the name Theodore and Theo, and want it when our baby boy is born. I don't know any around here (West London) but do know a lot of Oscars. My very good friend has an Oscar, he's 16 months old. I agree, I like names that straddle all the classes and aren't just necessarily "posh" or "working class". I definitely think Theo is one of those names. I don't think it's as popular as Oscar, it's not in the top 50 names of 2009 when I last looked and Oscar is, quite high up.

InmaculadaConcepcion · 17/01/2010 19:09

My own Theo (DH - one of his kind for the age-group! gurt posh too, not that it matters!) says go for the French version, Theophile if you want to be more original.

I pointed out that the spelling (and mis-pronunciation - in French it's "feel") is likely to viewed as having unfortunate connotations...!!

PanicMode · 17/01/2010 20:09

LOL ImmaculadaConception! (tho' am interested, but being pedantic, wouldn't it be pronounced Te-o-feel rather than Theo-feel?)

rasputin · 17/01/2010 22:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sanfairyann · 17/01/2010 22:34

thought you meant - and become a popular name for a dog - but not yet met a dog called theo if that makes it any better

LynetteScavo · 17/01/2010 22:36

Oscar is not common!

And it's not quite up there with Thomas and Jack...is it?

MrsWainwright · 17/01/2010 22:42

Oscar is more popular than Theo. Oscar is in the 20s and Theo the 50s.

Oscar nicer IMO. Both quite trendy though.

Amandoh · 17/01/2010 22:42

My DS3 is called Theodore (Shortened to Theo) and I've noticed a big surge in the name but I thought I was just noticing the name more due to having a Theo myself. Obviously not.

We're in Surrey btw.

foresttarotadmin · 17/01/2010 23:37

heh EE has a lot to answer for...I call my daughter Summer, and two months later, summer appears in EE. We were going to call our son Oscar, thankfully he arrived after oscar arrived in EE and we changed it. WIth this one due feb, we were going to call him noah....and then discovered the noah in EE. SO now he isnt noah anymore lol.

Stupid soap.

snice · 17/01/2010 23:45

Chris Evzans called his son Noah which I think will boost its popularity

shoobidoo · 18/01/2010 10:20

I'm surprised that soaps like Eastenders have such an influence!

InmaculadaConcepcion · 18/01/2010 14:09

Ha ha, quite right PanicMode that is how the French would say it - quite pretty when pronounced that way.

Of course, the other danger with calling your child "Theo" (without the "dore" part) means you're shortening from the meaning "Gift of God" to just "God" - could encourage hubristic attitudes (!) I'm sure that's why my DH always thinks he's right - it's to do with the omniscience or omnipotence (or maybe just being a man?!!! Sorry male readers, couldn't resist)

Anyway, it gave me a lot of harmless fun before we discovered ours is a girl by saying we would go for "Jesus" (very popular here in Spain) for a boy. In time we could have built a whole nativity....

MaryAnnSingleton · 18/01/2010 14:13

My Theo is 12 and it was unusual then -he was the only one in his primary school - even now I don't believe there is another in his sec. school -though there is a Theodore and he is only ever called that,not Theo.
I love it and I do think it crosses all the classes - and that's not a bad thing surely.

CantSupinate · 18/01/2010 14:17

MNers are so funny. I think I live on another planet from some of you.
I don't know a single Oscar under 30.
I have met one child named Theo in the last 10 years.

Now, Kieron/Jack/Alex/Charlie/Alfie/Daniel/Joshua/William/Thomas, those are 10 a penny boy names ime.

loobylu3 · 18/01/2010 20:14

There are quite a few Oscars and Theos in my neck of the woods. I think they are both names with a wide appeal and hence probably span the classes. I don't think that is a bad thing though and they are both nice names!

PeachesMac · 19/01/2010 10:01

I agree Cantsupinate! Theo and Oscar are both still rare compared to Thomas, Jack etc! I know three Jacks under five and two Thomas' born in the last year! I don't know any Theos and one Oscar (which I also love but my friend has it for her son). Oliver also seems very popular in my neck of the woods. But if I loved a name I wouldn't let the popularity of it put me off. In fact it's the really weird names that people choose that I always dislike. I know a Vegas (honestly!) and an Oakley.