girls' name ★ peaked 1961

Theresa

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,559 Trend ↓ Falling 26%

First used in Spain, supposedly derived from Latin Thēra, from Ancient Greek Θήρᾱ (Thḗrā), name of a city in Santorini, Greece.

Rank 2025
#1,559
among girls · ↓63 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
136
named Theresa · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,818
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1961
11,991 babies
All-time total
405,831
#91 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Theresa popularity over time

405,831 babies have been named Theresa since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 2,505 – 2,505 251 – #101
1890s 4,730 5 4,735 474 +89% #100
1900s 6,396 10 6,406 641 +35% #94
1910s 18,348 27 18,375 1,838 +187% #93
1920s 36,666 129 36,795 3,680 +100% #49
1930s 32,785 160 32,945 3,295 -10% #50
1940s 35,789 105 35,894 3,589 +9% #63
1950s 89,608 181 89,789 8,979 +150% #32
1960s 97,118 294 97,412 9,741 +8% #35
1970s 40,076 174 40,250 4,025 -59% #53
1980s 22,389 118 22,507 2,251 -44% #100
1990s 10,591 15 10,606 1,061 -53% #196
2000s 4,555 – 4,555 456 -57% #418
2010s 2,198 – 2,198 220 -52% #923
2020s (to 2025) 859 – 859 143 -35% #1,410

Where Theresa is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 130 0.08 outside top 500
2027 124 0.08 outside top 500
2028 120 0.07 outside top 500
2029 117 0.07 outside top 500
2030 114 0.07 outside top 500

Where Theresa is most popular

Girls named Theresa per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.087 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Theresa born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 5 0.581 +570%
Pennsylvania 51 0.216 +149%
Massachusetts 18 0.149 +72%
New York 56 0.141 +63%
New Jersey 24 0.133 +53%
Illinois 30 0.131 +51%
Michigan 23 0.126 +46%
Connecticut 6 0.103 +19%
Ohio 23 0.097 +12%
Missouri 10 0.083 ≈ national
Washington 10 0.069 -20%
California 58 0.069 -20%
Maryland 7 0.066 -24%
Texas 52 0.065 -25%
Virginia 11 0.065 -26%
Minnesota 6 0.056 -36%
Colorado 5 0.045 -48%
Arizona 6 0.043 -51%
Florida 14 0.033 -62%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -64%
North Carolina 5 0.022 -75%
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Theresa

Theresa is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,559 in 2025 with 136 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 405,831 American babies have been named Theresa. Its peak came in 1961, when 11,991 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Theresa stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Theresa?

The median living Theresa is about 63 years old; half are between 54 and 70. An estimated 275 thousand people named Theresa are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Theresa year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 136 #1,559 – –
2024 146 #1,496 – –
2023 123 #1,691 – –
2022 148 #1,484 – –
2021 150 #1,439 – –
2020 156 #1,410 – –
2019 184 #1,266 – –
2018 224 #1,105 – –
2017 219 #1,136 – –
2016 210 #1,191 – –
2015 210 #1,196 – –
2014 226 #1,124 – –
2013 198 #1,218 – –
2012 232 #1,076 – –
2011 213 #1,156 – –
2010 282 #923 – –
2009 283 #944 – –
2008 342 #832 – –
2007 379 #769 – –
2006 394 #717 – –
2005 440 #637 – –
2004 410 #671 – –
2003 494 #567 – –
2002 532 #516 – –
2001 602 #462 – –
2000 679 #418 – –
1995 948 #292 – –
1990 1,499 #196 10 #5,336
1985 2,123 #136 21 #2,493
1980 2,925 #104 12 #3,593
1975 3,611 #78 20 #2,279
1970 6,411 #53 27 #1,696
1965 9,685 #45 22 #1,717
1960 11,847 #35 36 #1,336
1955 9,620 #38 20 #1,787
1950 5,628 #65 7 #3,293
1945 2,895 #96 7 #2,975
1940 2,441 #102 16 #1,796
1935 2,863 #86 16 #1,827
1930 4,783 #50 18 #1,813
1925 3,515 #80 13 #2,422
1920 2,426 #108 6 #4,237
1915 2,309 #93 7 #3,363
1910 926 #96 8 #1,298
1905 598 #108 – –
1900 659 #102 5 #1,486
1895 515 #103 5 #1,224
1890 401 #101 – –
1885 232 #114 – –
1880 153 #112 – –

Famous people named Theresa

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Theresa May Theresa May British Prime Minister (born 1956) Contemporary
  2. 2 Theresa Russell Theresa Russell American actress (born 1957) Contemporary
  3. 3 Theresa Randle Theresa Randle American actress b. 1964 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Theresa Villiers Theresa Villiers British Conservative politician (born 1968) Contemporary
  5. 5 Theresa, Countess of Portugal Theresa, Countess of Portugal 11/12th-century Countess and disputed Queen of Portugal 1080–1130 · Medieval
  6. 6 Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska Electress of Bavaria from 1695 to 1726 1676–1730 · 17th century
  7. 7 Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León Queen of León from 1191 to 1195 1178–1250 · Medieval
  8. 8 Theresa of Portugal, Countess of Flanders Theresa of Portugal, Countess of Flanders Countess consort of Flanders 1157–1218 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Theresa, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Theresa?

The median living Theresa is about 63 years old. Half of all living Theresas are between 54 and 70 years old.

How many people named Theresa are alive today?

An estimated 275 thousand people named Theresa are alive in the United States, based on 405,831 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Theresa mean?

First used in Spain, supposedly derived from Latin Thēra, from Ancient Greek Θήρᾱ (Thḗrā), name of a city in Santorini, Greece.

How popular is the name Theresa in 2025?

Theresa ranked #1,559 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 136 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Theresa?

405,831 babies have been named Theresa in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Theresa most popular?

Theresa peaked in 1961, when 11,991 newborns received the name.

Is Theresa a boy or girl name?

Theresa is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Theresa rising or falling?

Theresa is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Theresa become more popular?

Theresa is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 114 girls named Theresa in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Theresa?

Well-known people named Theresa include Theresa May (politician), Theresa Russell (actor), Theresa Randle (actor).

Names like Theresa

Names that sound and feel close to Theresa: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Theresa with similar names → More names starting with T →