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Theresa

Gender
Girl
Say it
teh-REE-za
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#1,512 for girls
US rank, 2025
#1,548 for girls

Theresa is a girls' name of Greek origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,512th for girls in the UK (21 babies) and 1,548th for girls in the US (136 babies).

What does Theresa mean?

Greek: spelling of Teresa; possibly Greek

The usual English and German spelling of Teresa; Empress Maria Theresa ruled the Habsburg lands in the 18th century.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Theresa a girl's or a boy's name?

Theresa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 21 girls in the UK and 136 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Theresa in the UK?

Rank in 2025
1,512th among girls
Babies in 2025
21 about 1 in 13,000 girls
Five-year trend
Rising up 27% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 21 girls in the UK were named Theresa, making it the 1,512th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,159th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 52 girls.

It has been given to more girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had more girls named Theresa than any year since 2018.

Half of all the girls named Theresa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 44 girls in the UK were given Theresa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #796, up from #1,512 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 1,454th in England and Wales.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1954 (#87) and 1964 (#91).

1996Busiest: 52 in 19972025
Theresa in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202521#1,512
202419#1,662
202316#1,873
202213#2,157
202115#1,981
202013#2,159
20198#3,018
201823#1,468
201720#1,647
201621#1,605
201517#1,813
201415#1,976
201326#1,365
201224#1,430
201124#1,379
201033#1,080
200915#1,848
200822#1,390
200730#1,057
200624#1,188
200538#808
200432#910
200320#1,216
200228#904
200123#1,013
200032#792
199928#861
199832#789
199752#567
199634#733

How popular is Theresa in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,548th among girls
Babies in 2025
136 about 1 in 12,000 girls
Five-year trend
Falling down 28% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 136 girls in the US were named Theresa, making it the 1,548th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,398th. Its busiest year was 1961, with 11,960 girls.

Half of all the girls named Theresa in the US since 1880 were born between 1939 and 1967, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 432 girls in the US were given Theresa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #665, up from #1,548 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 11,960 in 19612025
Theresa in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025136#1,548
2024146#1,492
2023123#1,681
2022148#1,478
2021150#1,432
2020156#1,398
2019184#1,259
2018224#1,101
2017219#1,131
2016210#1,188
2015210#1,193
2014226#1,121
2013198#1,210
2012232#1,075
2011213#1,150
2010282#919
2009283#942
2008342#830
2007379#767
2006394#717
2005440#636
2004410#671
2003494#562
2002532#516
2001602#461
2000679#418
1999701#400
1998787#365
1997853#335
1996883#318
1995948#292
19941,063#263
19931,159#242
19921,238#226
19911,460#205
19901,499#196
19891,546#180
19881,658#171
19871,739#159
19861,979#144
19852,123#136
19842,307#121
19832,416#121
19822,753#109
19812,943#99
19802,925#104
19792,995#100
19782,922#101
19772,914#98
19763,173#89
19753,611#78
19743,857#79
19734,178#69
19724,569#68
19715,446#61
19706,411#53
19696,858#49
19687,307#47
19678,105#43
19668,699#46
19659,685#45
196410,557#38
196311,039#38
196211,061#40
196111,960#35
196011,847#35
195911,656#34
195811,452#33
195711,188#36
195610,841#32
19559,620#38
19548,509#47
19537,715#50
19526,809#60
19516,190#64
19505,628#65
19495,603#63
19485,556#62
19474,390#85
19463,684#95
19452,895#96
19442,817#96
19432,929#99
19422,799#98
19412,675#95
19402,441#102
19392,611#94
19382,763#92
19372,702#95
19362,758#88
19352,863#86
19343,192#77
19333,266#70
19323,813#60
19314,034#59
19304,783#50
19295,068#49
19285,330#49
19275,129#52
19264,407#64
19253,515#80
19243,021#96
19232,614#105
19222,543#109
19212,613#107
19202,426#108
19192,380#102
19182,511#101
19172,490#97
19162,348#98
19152,309#93
19141,794#93
19131,403#97
19121,268#96
1911919#100
1910926#96
1909724#106
1908795#94
1907734#99
1906669#99
1905598#107
1904561#108
1903553#102
1902549#109
1901554#94
1900659#102
1899532#101
1898540#107
1897533#100
1896469#108
1895515#103
1894484#100
1893469#101
1892417#107
1891370#106
1890401#101
1889359#106
1888377#101
1887284#108
1886276#111
1885232#114
1884240#111
1883241#104
1882170#121
1881173#108
1880153#112

Nicknames for Theresa

Names like Theresa

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Georgina, Melissa, Anna, Georgia, Helena, Christina, Lydia, Leona, Elizabeth, Angela, Theodora, Rebecca

Other spellings of Theresa

Teresa, Teressa

Names related to Theresa

Thea-Rose, Tereza, Therese, Terese

More Greek names

Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe

Every Greek name

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, “Theresa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/theresa, updated 20 October 2026.