girl's name
Thelma
TEL-mah
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 230,957
France
#194
2025 births
Thelma is a girl's name invented for a novel in 1887, and the Greek word it was probably built from means "will" or "volition." It ranks 194th in France and is stable in our data.
- Thelma is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 7,871 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 114,325 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Thelma over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 76 |
| 1890s | 2,396 |
| 1900s | 18,344 |
| 1910s | 57,284 |
| 1920s | 69,101 |
| 1930s | 36,530 |
| 1940s | 20,333 |
| 1950s | 11,812 |
| 1960s | 5,923 |
| 1970s | 2,158 |
| 1980s | 1,170 |
| 1990s | 687 |
| 2000s | 379 |
| 2010s | 239 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 170 |
What Thelma means
Thelma has no inherited meaning. It was coined for fiction, most likely from the Greek thelema, will or volition — but that is a reconstruction of the author's intention rather than a derivation.
Where Thelma comes from
Thelma first appears as the name of the heroine of Marie Corelli's 1887 novel Thelma, about a Norwegian woman who marries an English aristocrat; Corelli was the best-selling novelist of her era and the name entered use immediately after publication with no earlier record. She never explained it, and the usual suggestion is the Greek thelema, will or volition — the word in the Lord's Prayer rendered as thy will be done, and later the motto of Rabelais's Abbey of Thélème and of Aleister Crowley's system. Whether Corelli intended any of that is unknown. The name peaked early in the twentieth century and its modern English associations run through Thelma and Louise, released in 1991, which is a very different register.
Thelma in use
Thelma ranks 194th in France with about 300 births in 2025 and is stable in our data with a peak in 1921 — the early peak is the novel working through a generation. Our records carry it from 1880, which slightly predates the book and reflects a handful of unrelated entries. It is rare elsewhere now at 4,695th in the United States and 2,688th in England and Wales.
How popular is Thelma?
In 2025, Thelma was given to 29 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Thelma is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Thelma
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Thelma also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Thelma over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Thelma in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Thelma
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Thelma — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Thelma
What does the name Thelma mean?
Nothing inherited — it was invented for a novel in 1887, most likely from the Greek thelema, will.
Who invented the name Thelma?
Marie Corelli, for her 1887 novel of that name. She never explained it.
Is Thelma related to Selma?
No. Selma has separate Germanic and Arabic sources and only resembles it.
How popular is Thelma?
194th in France, where it is stable.
Is Thelma a girl's or a boy's name?
Thelma is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Thelma?
Thelma has 2 syllables.
Is Thelma a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Thelma currently ranks #194 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.