Teresa
Teresa is a feminine given name.
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Catalan
Meaning & Origin of Teresa
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Teresa is a feminine given name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Catalan
- Polish
- Lithuanian
- Finnish
- German
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- English
The Story of Teresa
The earliest SSA record of Teresa as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 50 babies received it. 1961 was its biggest year on record, with 18,909 newborns named Teresa — #18 in the national rankings. The 1960s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 36% of all recorded Teresas. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #903 among baby girl names with 296 births, gradually falling (-14%). In total, more than 416K Teresas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Teresa
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Teresa. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Teresa
Phonetically similar names — useful when Teresa is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Teresa
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In which U.S. states is Teresa most popular?
Is Teresa a unisex name?
What names go well with Teresa?
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About the name Teresa
Teresa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 416K births in the dataset. Teresa's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #18. Use the chart and map above to compare Teresa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1961 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.