Thelma
Thelma is a female given name. It was popularized by Victorian writer Marie Corelli who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel Thelma. Although the character was supposed to be Norwegian, it is not a traditional Scandinavian name. It may be related to a Greek word meaning "will, volition" see Thelema).
- English
Meaning & Origin of Thelma
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Thelma is a female given name. It was popularized by Victorian writer Marie Corelli who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel Thelma. Although the character was supposed to be Norwegian, it is not a traditional Scandinavian name. It may be related to a Greek word meaning "will, volition" see Thelema).
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Thelma
Thelma first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1921: 7,839 births, good for #30 nationwide. About 30% of every Thelma on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Thelma ranks #4,716 for baby girls with 29 births, holding steady (+5%). All told, over 225K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Thelma
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Thelma Akana Harrison (1905–1972), American politician
- Thelma Aoyama (born 1987), Japanese pop singer
- Thelma Dís Ágústsdóttir (born 1998), Icelandic basketball player
- Thelma Barlow (born 1929), English actress
- Thelma Carpenter (1922–1997), American jazz singer and actress
- Thelma Cazalet-Keir (1899–1989), British politician
- Thelma Drake (born 1949), American politician
- Thelma Eisen (1922–2014), American baseball player
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Thelma
Phonetically similar names — useful when Thelma 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 Thelma
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About the name Thelma
Thelma is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 225K births in the dataset. Thelma's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #25. Use the chart and map above to compare Thelma's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1921 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- 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.