ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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No names found 

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1891

First Year

2024

Last Year

1929

Peak Year

#1223

Peak Rank

853

Total Count

62

Years Active

🌍

## Meaning & Origin of Theora

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Theora is a free lossy video compression format. It was developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation and distributed without licensing fees alongside their other free and open media projects, including the Vorbis audio format and the Ogg container.

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theora) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theora)

🏛️Origin & history

See also: VP3 Theora's predecessor On2 TrueMotion VP3 was originally a proprietary and patent-encumbered video codec developed by On2 Technologies . VP3.1 was introduced in May 2000 and followed three months later by the VP3.2 release, which was the basis for Theora.

📖

## The Story of Theora

Theora first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1891, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1929: 37 births, good for #1,223 nationwide. About 27% of every Theora on record arrived during the 1910s, its defining decade. Theora last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 853 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

🎶

## Names that sound like Theora

Phonetically similar names — useful when Theora is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Theory](/theory)
* [Thera](/thera)
* [Thora](/thora)
* [Theorie](/theorie)
* [Thara](/thara)
* [Thira](/thira)
* [Thyra](/thyra)
* Thorough
* [Thea](/thea)
* Thier
* [Thia](/thia)
* Thiry

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Theora

What does the name Theora mean?

Theora is a free lossy video compression format. It was developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation and distributed without licensing fees alongside their other free and open media projects, including the Vorbis audio format and the Ogg container.

How popular is Theora in 2026?

In 2026, Theora ranks #11,069 among girls' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.

When was Theora most popular?

Theora reached its peak popularity in 1929, ranking #1,223 that year with 37 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Theora most popular?

Theora has historically been most popular in Pennsylvania. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Theora.

Is Theora a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Theora is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Theora?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Theora include Delorise, Blenda, Congetta. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

## Similar Names

[👧DelorisePeak #1223](/delorise)[👧BlendaPeak #1224](/blenda)[👧CongettaPeak #1222](/congetta)[👧AdiaPeak #1222](/adia)[👧LugenePeak #1222](/lugene)[👧DeedraPeak #1224](/deedra)[👧LainiePeak #1224](/lainie)[👧EisleyPeak #1224](/eisley)

## About the name Theora 

Theora is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1891 and has accumulated 853 births in the dataset. Theora's peak popularity came in 1929 when it ranked #1,223\. Use the chart and map above to compare Theora's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1929 → ](/year/1929)
* [ Names of the 1920s → ](/decade/1920s)
* [ Names starting with "T" → ](/letter/t)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
* Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.