Thecla
Thecla was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla.
Meaning & Origin of Thecla
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Thecla was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Thecla
Thecla first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1888, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1917, when 18 Theclas were born — ranking #1,923 that year. As of 2026, Thecla ranks #10,911 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 281 Theclas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Thecla
Phonetically similar names — useful when Thecla 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 Thecla
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About the name Thecla
Thecla is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1888 and has accumulated 281 births in the dataset. Thecla's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #1,923. Use the chart and map above to compare Thecla's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1917 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- 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.