Girl · #10,208 in 2026

Thembi

Name: Popularity of the name Thembi in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Thembi, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Thembi is the seventh album by American free jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, released in May 1971. It is dedicated to his South-African wife Nomathemba "Thembi", as noted on the back sleeve of the original album.

Current Rank

#10,208

Peak Rank

#5,136 (1971)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1971

First Year

1979

Last Year

1971

Peak Year

#5136

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Thembi

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Thembi

Thembi first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1971, with 10 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1971, when 10 Thembis were born — ranking #5,136 that year. As of 2026, Thembi ranks #10,208 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 35 Thembis have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Thembi

Phonetically similar names — useful when Thembi is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Thumby
Thimbu
Hemby
Cumby
Mumby
Cumbie
Thrombi
Zombie
Zombi
Tempe
Camby
Zomby

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Thembi

What does the name Thembi mean?

How popular is Thembi in 2026?

In 2026, Thembi ranks #10,208 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Thembi most popular?

Thembi reached its peak popularity in 1971, ranking #5,136 that year with 10 babies given the name.

Is Thembi a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Thembi is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Thembi?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Thembi include Veleda, Genean, Carnetta. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Thembi

Thembi is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1971 and has accumulated 35 births in the dataset. Thembi's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #5,136. Use the chart and map above to compare Thembi's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.