# Theresa (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/theresa/  
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 | Greek |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Teresa |
| US babies named this | 405,831 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,218 / 404,613 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 664, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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

## 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 | 213 | 1,156 |
| 2012 | 232 | 1,076 |
| 2013 | 198 | 1,218 |
| 2014 | 226 | 1,124 |
| 2015 | 210 | 1,196 |
| 2016 | 210 | 1,191 |
| 2017 | 219 | 1,136 |
| 2018 | 224 | 1,105 |
| 2019 | 184 | 1,266 |
| 2020 | 156 | 1,410 |
| 2021 | 150 | 1,439 |
| 2022 | 148 | 1,484 |
| 2023 | 123 | 1,691 |
| 2024 | 146 | 1,496 |
| 2025 | 136 | 1,559 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 14 | 3,031 |
| 1978 | 18 | 2,561 |
| 1979 | 10 | 4,048 |
| 1980 | 12 | 3,593 |
| 1981 | 13 | 3,393 |
| 1982 | 10 | 4,207 |
| 1983 | 11 | 3,853 |
| 1984 | 14 | 3,258 |
| 1985 | 21 | 2,493 |
| 1986 | 8 | 5,287 |
| 1987 | 9 | 4,924 |
| 1988 | 8 | 5,699 |
| 1989 | 12 | 4,499 |
| 1990 | 10 | 5,336 |
| 1991 | 5 | 9,500 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 22 | 1,374 |
| 2012 | 21 | 1,483 |
| 2013 | 23 | 1,400 |
| 2014 | 14 | 1,966 |
| 2015 | 15 | 1,865 |
| 2016 | 19 | 1,635 |
| 2017 | 20 | 1,568 |
| 2018 | 19 | 1,586 |
| 2019 | 8 | 2,869 |
| 2020 | 13 | 2,042 |
| 2021 | 15 | 1,866 |
| 2022 | 13 | 2,058 |
| 2023 | 15 | 1,863 |
| 2024 | 19 | 1,603 |
| 2025 | 21 | 1,454 |

## People named Theresa

- Theresa Russell, American actress
- Theresa Randle, American actress
- Theresa Villiers, British politician (born 1968)
- Archduchess Maria Theresa, Countess of Chambord, Austro-Modenese Imperial and Royal (1817-1886)
- Theresa Saldana, American actress (1954–2016)
- Theresa Weld, American figure skater
- Princess Theresa of Bavaria, Bavarian princess, scientist, philanthropist (1850-1925)
- Frances Theresa Densmore, American anthropologist and ethnologist (1867-1957)
- Theresa Andrews, American swimmer
- Theresa Malkiel, American labor activist, suffragist, and educator
- Theresa Luke, Canadian rower
- Theresa Nielsen, Danish footballer

## 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.