Tedore

The etymology of this name is actually not as straightforward as you would think at first glance!

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Tedore can be descended from თეოდორე (Teodore), which is an early medieval Georgian form of the Greek name Θεόδωρος (Theodoros).

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However, it can also be descended from თევდორე (Tevdore), which is the name of a pagan Georgian god of agriculture and horses. In fact: the god is sometimes also known as Tedore!

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After the christianization of Georgia in the early 4th century, the god's name and person became associated with saint Theodore of Amasea (died in 306 AD). Due to this close association, most (if not all) Georgian name sources derive both Tedore and Tevdore from the Greek name Θεόδωρος (Theodoros). They make no mention whatsoever of the pagan god, which possibly indicates that the god's existence is no longer common knowledge, i.e. over time he has become largely forgotten.

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Sources used:

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- Тедоре (Tedore): https://imya.com/name/39385 (in Russian; connects the name to the pagan deity and talks about him in detail)
- http://kids.ge/baby-name?id=446 (in Georgian)
- Tedore: https://web.archive.org/web/20130130192330/http://name.interes.ge/dreams.php?action=view&id=441&from=action=search|by=%E1%83%97 (in Georgian)
- http://www.geogen.ge/ge/msearch/4311/ (in Georgian; scroll down to the entry for Tedore)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_Iberia (in English)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_mythology#List_of_supernatural_beings_from_Georgian_myth (in English; scroll down to the entry for Tevdore)
- Tevdore (also Tedore), an agrarian deity from Georgian mythology: https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%97%E1%83%94%E1%83%95%E1%83%93%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A0%E1%83%94_(%E1%83%A6%E1%83%95%E1%83%97%E1%83%90%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%90) (in Georgian)

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Also see the entries for Teodore and Tevdore in the Submitted Names Database, which have been updated and are now privately filled with their own relevant sources.