The first name Thelma
A girl’s name meaning “the magic goblet”, “will”.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Thelma means “the magic goblet”, “will”.
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.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 10 girls were named Thelma, making it the 2,605th most popular girls’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Thelma with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Thelma at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 29 girls born in the United States were named Thelma, the 4,745th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 7,839 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.
Famous people named Thelma
20 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Thelma RitterAmerican actress and vaudevillian (1902-1969)
- Thelma SchoonmakerAmerican film editor, born 1940
- Thelma ToddAmerican actress (1906-1935)
- Thelma Coyne LongAustralian tennis player (1918–2015)
- Thelma HopkinsBritish athlete (1936–2025)
- Thelma HoustonAmerican singer (born 1946)
- Thelma EstrinAmerican computer scientist and engineer, 1924–2014
- Thelma KalamaAmerican swimmer (1931–1999)
- Thelma FardinArgentine actress, born 1992
- Thelma PayneAmerican diver (1896–1988)
- Thelma HillAmerican actress (1906-1938)
- Thelma CarpenterAmerican actress and musician (1922–1997)
Questions
- What does the name Thelma mean?
- Thelma means “the magic goblet”, “will”.
- How popular is the name Thelma?
- In 2025, 10 girls born in England and Wales were named Thelma, ranking 2,605th.
- Is Thelma a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 99% of the 226,602 US babies named Thelma since 1880 were girls.
- When was Thelma most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 7,839 babies were named Thelma, its highest rank at 30th.