The first name Thecla
A girl’s name from Greek meaning “god”, “god's”, “godly”.
Pronounced /θɛklə/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Greek origin
Thecla means “god”, “god's”, “godly” in Greek.
From Late Latin Thecla, from Koine Greek Θέκλα (Thékla), chiefly for St Thecla, an apocryphal early Christian martyr whose name might derive from hellenicization of a local Luwic name or from some contraction of θεο- (theo-, “God, God's, godly”) + -κλῆς (-klês, “glory”).
More names that mean famous, god.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 3 girls were named Thecla, making it the 5,927th most popular girls’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Thecla with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Thecla at birth, 1880–2025
In 1986, 5 girls born in the United States were named Thecla, the 12,697th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1917, when 18 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Thecla in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Theckla
- Thekla
Famous people named Thecla
1 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Thecla BoesenDanish actress (1910–1996)
More Greek girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Thecla mean?
- Thecla means “god”, “god's”, “godly” in Greek.
- What is the origin of the name Thecla?
- From Late Latin Thecla, from Koine Greek Θέκλα (Thékla), chiefly for St Thecla, an apocryphal early Christian martyr whose name might derive from hellenicization of a local Luwic name or from some contraction of θεο- (theo-, “God, God's, godly”) + -κλῆς (-klês, “glory”).
- How popular is the name Thecla?
- In 2025, 3 girls born in England and Wales were named Thecla, ranking 5,927th.
- Is Thecla a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 281 US babies named Thecla since 1880 were girls.
- When was Thecla most popular?
- 1917 in the United States, when 18 babies were named Thecla, its highest rank at 1,987th.
- How do you pronounce Thecla?
- Thecla is /θɛklə/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Thecla?
- Theckla and Thekla.