Thelma
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- THEL-ma
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,675 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #4,660 for girls
Thelma is a girls' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 2,675th for girls in the UK (10 babies) and 4,660th for girls in the US (29 babies).
What does Thelma mean?
English: coined by Marie Corelli, perhaps from Greek thelema 'will'
Created by novelist Marie Corelli for the heroine of her novel Thelma (1887).
More on Wiktionary.
Is Thelma a girl's or a boy's name?
Thelma is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 10 girls in the UK and 29 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Thelma in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,675among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 10about 1 in 28,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 24% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 10 girls in the UK were named Thelma, making it the 2,675th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,110th.
2025 had the most girls named Thelma of any year since it first appeared, in 1998.
Half of all the girls named Thelma in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,603rd in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1924 (#84) and 1934 (#57).
Thelma in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | #2,675 |
| 2024 | 5 | #4,253 |
| 2023 | 6 | #3,766 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,870 |
| 2021 | 3 | #5,824 |
| 2020 | 5 | #4,110 |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 7 | #3,344 |
| 2017 | 8 | #3,102 |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,980 |
| 2015 | 4 | #4,951 |
| 2014 | 5 | #4,187 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 4 | #5,058 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 5 | #4,220 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 5 | #3,858 |
| 2006 | 9 | #2,451 |
| 2005 | 4 | #4,150 |
| 2004 | 8 | #2,406 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 4 | #3,556 |
| 2001 | 4 | #3,427 |
| 2000 | 4 | #3,399 |
| 1999 | 3 | #4,041 |
| 1998 | 3 | #4,026 |
How popular is Thelma in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,660among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 29about 1 in 55,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 29 girls in the US were named Thelma, making it the 4,660th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,755th. Its busiest year was 1921, with 7,839 girls.
Half of all the girls named Thelma in the US since 1880 were born between 1917 and 1935, the years shaded on the chart below.
Thelma in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | #4,660 |
| 2024 | 33 | #4,293 |
| 2023 | 23 | #5,386 |
| 2022 | 26 | #5,025 |
| 2021 | 32 | #4,322 |
| 2020 | 27 | #4,755 |
| 2019 | 22 | #5,608 |
| 2018 | 27 | #4,886 |
| 2017 | 26 | #5,043 |
| 2016 | 32 | #4,422 |
| 2015 | 27 | #4,979 |
| 2014 | 25 | #5,308 |
| 2013 | 19 | #6,459 |
| 2012 | 27 | #5,112 |
| 2011 | 14 | #8,192 |
| 2010 | 20 | #6,380 |
| 2009 | 35 | #4,268 |
| 2008 | 30 | #4,880 |
| 2007 | 28 | #5,095 |
| 2006 | 34 | #4,264 |
| 2005 | 42 | #3,505 |
| 2004 | 31 | #4,383 |
| 2003 | 40 | #3,528 |
| 2002 | 31 | #4,067 |
| 2001 | 58 | #2,596 |
| 2000 | 50 | #2,850 |
| 1999 | 48 | #2,809 |
| 1998 | 62 | #2,276 |
| 1997 | 41 | #2,931 |
| 1996 | 48 | #2,587 |
| 1995 | 79 | #1,798 |
| 1994 | 70 | #1,994 |
| 1993 | 72 | #1,938 |
| 1992 | 89 | #1,684 |
| 1991 | 86 | #1,696 |
| 1990 | 92 | #1,613 |
| 1989 | 95 | #1,503 |
| 1988 | 84 | #1,563 |
| 1987 | 92 | #1,423 |
| 1986 | 105 | #1,282 |
| 1985 | 101 | #1,318 |
| 1984 | 122 | #1,126 |
| 1983 | 119 | #1,127 |
| 1982 | 152 | #972 |
| 1981 | 152 | #964 |
| 1980 | 148 | #994 |
| 1979 | 164 | #905 |
| 1978 | 171 | #858 |
| 1977 | 195 | #774 |
| 1976 | 193 | #750 |
| 1975 | 198 | #736 |
| 1974 | 238 | #641 |
| 1973 | 219 | #682 |
| 1972 | 225 | #665 |
| 1971 | 281 | #606 |
| 1970 | 274 | #621 |
| 1969 | 318 | #554 |
| 1968 | 400 | #480 |
| 1967 | 388 | #481 |
| 1966 | 475 | #425 |
| 1965 | 579 | #379 |
| 1964 | 655 | #371 |
| 1963 | 720 | #353 |
| 1962 | 752 | #345 |
| 1961 | 772 | #339 |
| 1960 | 835 | #326 |
| 1959 | 899 | #305 |
| 1958 | 847 | #316 |
| 1957 | 967 | #291 |
| 1956 | 1,078 | #254 |
| 1955 | 1,105 | #246 |
| 1954 | 1,241 | #228 |
| 1953 | 1,295 | #223 |
| 1952 | 1,358 | #209 |
| 1951 | 1,528 | #189 |
| 1950 | 1,458 | #187 |
| 1949 | 1,625 | #172 |
| 1948 | 1,763 | #163 |
| 1947 | 1,902 | #153 |
| 1946 | 1,794 | #150 |
| 1945 | 1,853 | #131 |
| 1944 | 1,997 | #131 |
| 1943 | 2,210 | #127 |
| 1942 | 2,257 | #121 |
| 1941 | 2,367 | #108 |
| 1940 | 2,461 | #101 |
| 1939 | 2,696 | #88 |
| 1938 | 2,866 | #86 |
| 1937 | 3,062 | #78 |
| 1936 | 3,196 | #74 |
| 1935 | 3,190 | #76 |
| 1934 | 3,646 | #65 |
| 1933 | 3,636 | #57 |
| 1932 | 4,272 | #51 |
| 1931 | 4,440 | #53 |
| 1930 | 5,250 | #45 |
| 1929 | 5,476 | #41 |
| 1928 | 5,978 | #40 |
| 1927 | 6,303 | #38 |
| 1926 | 6,585 | #36 |
| 1925 | 6,823 | #35 |
| 1924 | 7,316 | #33 |
| 1923 | 7,379 | #31 |
| 1922 | 7,254 | #31 |
| 1921 | 7,839 | #30 |
| 1920 | 7,814 | #31 |
| 1919 | 7,558 | #31 |
| 1918 | 7,740 | #32 |
| 1917 | 7,245 | #32 |
| 1916 | 7,290 | #29 |
| 1915 | 6,762 | #30 |
| 1914 | 5,496 | #26 |
| 1913 | 4,595 | #26 |
| 1912 | 4,183 | #26 |
| 1911 | 3,166 | #27 |
| 1910 | 2,976 | #25 |
| 1909 | 2,612 | #26 |
| 1908 | 2,526 | #26 |
| 1907 | 2,339 | #28 |
| 1906 | 2,114 | #31 |
| 1905 | 1,945 | #36 |
| 1904 | 1,757 | #37 |
| 1903 | 1,479 | #47 |
| 1902 | 1,309 | #52 |
| 1901 | 1,090 | #57 |
| 1900 | 1,094 | #73 |
| 1899 | 736 | #78 |
| 1898 | 605 | #99 |
| 1897 | 419 | #117 |
| 1896 | 260 | #167 |
| 1895 | 173 | #205 |
| 1894 | 70 | #333 |
| 1893 | 42 | #414 |
| 1892 | 33 | #471 |
| 1891 | 25 | #514 |
| 1890 | 22 | #558 |
| 1889 | 24 | #516 |
| 1888 | 15 | #663 |
| 1887 | 7 | #937 |
| 1886 | 12 | #657 |
| 1885 | 0 | – |
| 1884 | 7 | #851 |
| 1883 | 6 | #817 |
| 1882 | 0 | – |
| 1881 | 0 | – |
| 1880 | 5 | #836 |
Nicknames for Thelma
- Thel
Names like Thelma
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Hazel Ada Etta Alma Nellie Olive Martha Ruby Frankie Elsie Nina Florence
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Hallie Carter
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Thelma: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/thelma, updated 20 October 2026.