girl's name
Thérèse
tay-REZ
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 213,399
Northern Ireland
#496
as Therese, 2019
Thérèse is a girl's name of genuinely uncertain meaning, the French form of Teresa. Our data marks it reviving, though it does not currently chart in any of the six markets we track despite 213,062 recorded births.
- Thérèse is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1930, when 5,400 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in France.
- Today about 1 in 29,475 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Thérèse over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 17,935 |
| 1910s | 16,345 |
| 1920s | 36,825 |
| 1930s | 46,260 |
| 1940s | 29,775 |
| 1950s | 18,705 |
| 1960s | 6,920 |
| 1970s | 1,515 |
| 1980s | 595 |
| 1990s | 465 |
| 2000s | 250 |
| 2010s | 180 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 125 |
What Thérèse means
Thérèse has no securely established meaning. Harvester, from a Greek word for summer, is the standard answer, but a derivation from the island of Therasia is equally proposed.
Where Thérèse comes from
Thérèse is the French form of Teresa, whose origin is unresolved — the Greek theros, summer or harvest, and the island of Therasia near Santorini are both proposed, and some hold the name to be pre-Greek and unrecoverable. Thérèse of Lisieux, who entered Carmel at fifteen and died of tuberculosis at twenty-four in 1897, wrote an autobiography her prioress published after her death; it made her one of the most popular saints of the modern era and she was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997, one of only four women.
Thérèse in use
Thérèse peaked in France in 1930, when 5,400 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It does not currently rank in the latest year of any of the six markets we track, despite holding 213,062 lifetime births — the accented spelling has stopped being registered in numbers even in France, while the unaccented Therese and the Spanish Teresa both continue elsewhere.
How popular is Thérèse?
In 2025, Thérèse was given to 20 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Thérèse is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Thérèse is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Therese | Therese is a spelling of Thérèse, used in the United States, where it ranks #2,318. | 37,529 |
Names that peaked alongside Thérèse
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Thérèse also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Thérèse over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Thérèse
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Thérèse 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 Thérèse
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Thérèse — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Thérèse
What does the name Thérèse mean?
Not securely known — harvester is the usual answer, though the island of Therasia is equally proposed.
Who was Thérèse of Lisieux?
A Carmelite who died at twenty-four in 1897, and one of only four women named a Doctor of the Church.
Is Thérèse the same as Teresa?
Yes, the French and Spanish forms of the same unresolved name.
How popular is Thérèse?
It does not currently chart in any of the six markets we track, despite 213,062 lifetime births.
Is Thérèse a girl's or a boy's name?
Thérèse is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
What are the nicknames for Thérèse?
Thérèse is usually shortened to Tess.
Is Thérèse a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Thérèse currently ranks #1,506 in France. After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.