Theresa
Girl nameTheresa has been given to 405,831 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1961.
Meaning & origin
First used in Spain, supposedly derived from Latin Thēra, from Ancient Greek Θήρᾱ (Thḗrā), name of a city in Santorini, Greece.
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
405,831
Peak year
1961 (11,991 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -35%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Rank through the decades
Theresa's rank among U.S. girl names at 25-year milestones.
| Year | Girls rank |
|---|---|
| 1900 | #102 |
| 1925 | #80 |
| 1950 | #65 |
| 1975 | #78 |
| 2000 | #418 |
— means outside the top 1000 that year.
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Theresa — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Theresa
Theresa May
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019
Theresa Russell
American actress
Terry Farrell
American actress and model (born 1963)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Theresa.
FAQ
How popular is the name Theresa?
Theresa has been given to 405,831 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Theresa peak?
Theresa peaked in 1961, when 11,991 babies were given the name.
Is Theresa a girl or boy name?
Theresa is primarily a girl name (100% of babies named Theresa are girls).
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