Theo is a given name and a hypocorism.
Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word Theos (Θεός), which means God, for example:
Male names
Theodore, Theodosius, Theodotus, Theophanes, Theophilus, and Theophylact
Feminine names
Thea, Theodora, Theodosia,Theophania, Theophano and Theoxena
Many other names beginning with "Theo-" do not necessarily derive from Greek, but rather the old Germanic "theud", meaning "people" or "folk". As these names are uncommon today, and in the ancient times they were not spelled with the element "Theo", it is unlikely this nickname was ever applied to these individuals. These names include:
Theobald, Theodahad, Theodard, Theodebert, Theodemir, and Theodoric
See Theo and Théo for a current alphabetical list of all people with the first name Theo or Théo in the English wikipedia.
Among better known people with this name are:
Theo Adam (born 1926), German classical bass-baritone
Theo Albrecht (1922–2010), German entrepreneur and billionaire
Theo Angelopoulos (1935–2012), Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer
Theo Bos (born 1983), Dutch road and track cyclist, five-time world champion
Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931), Dutch artist, founder and leader of De Stijl
Theo Fleury (born 1968), Canadian ice hockey player
Theo Geisel (1904–1991), American author better known as Dr. Seuss
Theo van Gogh (art dealer) (1857–1891), brother and supporter of painter Vincent van Gogh
Theo van Gogh (film director) (1957–2004), Dutch film director, great-grandson of the above
Theo Heemskerk (1852–1932), Dutch Prime Minister
Theo James (born 1984), English actor
Theo Jansen (born 1948), Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor
Theo Janssen (born 1981), Dutch footballer
Theo Jörgensmann (born 1948), German jazz clarinetist and composer
Theo Kojak, fictional New York City Police detective on the Kojak television series
Théo Lefèvre (1914–1973), Belgian Prime Minister
Theo Lingen (1903–1978), German actor, film director and screenwriter
Theo Osterkamp (1892–1975), German flying ace in both World War I and World War II
Theo Pelouze (1807–1867), French chemist
Theo de Raadt (born 1968), founder and leader of the OpenBSD and OpenSSH
Theo Ratliff (born 1973), American basketball player (Theophalus)
Theo Rossi (born 1975), American actor and producer
Théo van Rysselberghe (1862–1926), Belgian neo-impressionist painter
Theo Sarapo (1936–1970), French singer and actor, husband of Édith Piaf
Theo Smyrnaeus (fl. 100 CE), Greek philosopher and mathematician (Theon)
Theo Waigel (born 1939), German politician, known as the father of the Euro
Theo Walcott (born 1989), English footballer
Theo Zagorakis (born 1971), Greek footballer and politician
