# Thelma (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/thelma/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “the magic goblet”, “will” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 226,602 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,142 / 225,460 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 117, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A literary invention, first appeared in the Swedish novel Kyrkoinvigningen i Hammarby (1840-1841) by Emilie Flygare-Carlén, translated into English as "The Magic Goblet" (1845). Similar names of ambiguous origin, Elma, Selma, Velma, appeared in the 19th century. By folk etymology explained as Ancient Greek θέλημα (thélēma, “will”). Notice also the Spanish and Portuguese Telma, a rare feminine form of Telmo, ultimately from Santelmo or Saint Elmo.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14 | 8,584 |
| 2012 | 27 | 5,242 |
| 2013 | 19 | 6,705 |
| 2014 | 25 | 5,441 |
| 2015 | 27 | 5,114 |
| 2016 | 32 | 4,523 |
| 2017 | 26 | 5,177 |
| 2018 | 27 | 4,997 |
| 2019 | 22 | 5,781 |
| 2020 | 27 | 4,867 |
| 2021 | 32 | 4,403 |
| 2022 | 26 | 5,162 |
| 2023 | 23 | 5,536 |
| 2024 | 33 | 4,376 |
| 2025 | 29 | 4,745 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 5 | 3,731 |
| 1946 | 8 | 2,900 |
| 1947 | 12 | 2,348 |
| 1948 | 10 | 2,601 |
| 1949 | 9 | 2,785 |
| 1952 | 6 | 3,694 |
| 1953 | 5 | 4,286 |
| 1954 | 8 | 3,147 |
| 1955 | 11 | 2,540 |
| 1958 | 6 | 3,904 |
| 1960 | 7 | 3,631 |
| 1961 | 5 | 4,604 |
| 1962 | 5 | 4,578 |
| 1963 | 7 | 3,621 |
| 1969 | 5 | 4,963 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 5 | 3,667 |
| 2010 | 5 | 4,012 |
| 2012 | 4 | 4,838 |
| 2014 | 4 | 4,684 |
| 2015 | 4 | 4,736 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,763 |
| 2017 | 8 | 2,925 |
| 2018 | 7 | 3,178 |
| 2019 | 5 | 4,001 |
| 2020 | 5 | 3,899 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5,581 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,645 |
| 2023 | 6 | 3,598 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4,192 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2,605 |

## People named Thelma

- Thelma Ritter, American actress and vaudevillian (1902-1969)
- Thelma Schoonmaker, American film editor
- Thelma Todd, American actress (1906-1935)
- Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player (1918–2015)
- Thelma Hopkins, British athlete (1936–2025)
- Thelma Houston, American singer (born 1946)
- Thelma Estrin, American computer scientist and engineer
- Thelma Kalama, American swimmer (1931–1999)
- Thelma Fardin, Argentine actress
- Thelma Payne, American diver (1896–1988)
- Thelma Hill, American actress (1906-1938)
- Thelma Carpenter, American actress and musician (1922–1997)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.