Thea
Girl name · #353 in 2025 · Uniqueness 58/100
Thea ranks #353 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 867 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #463, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 2,076 girls born in 2025 was named Thea.
The 145-year story
Thea first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 6 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2018, when 1,209 girls were named Thea — good for #273 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Thea per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Thea against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Thea in class?
Thea scores 58 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Thea is most common
Geography matters for names, and Thea is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Theas were CA (58), OH (51), NY (49), IL (44), TX (40). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Thea
Statistically, parents drawn to Thea tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Rhea, Leia, Amina, Willa, and Alaya.
RheaLeiaAminaWillaAlayaKoraMiraAzalea
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Thea | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 867 | #353 |
| 2024 | 897 | #348 |
| 2023 | 974 | #320 |
| 2022 | 1,066 | #300 |
| 2021 | 1,033 | #314 |
| 2020 | 1,071 | #302 |
| 2019 | 1,142 | #293 |
| 2018 | 1,209 | #273 |
| 2017 | 1,193 | #268 |
| 2016 | 1,121 | #291 |
| 2015 | 688 | #463 |
| 2014 | 364 | #768 |
| 2013 | 213 | #1133 |
| 2012 | 187 | #1279 |
| 2011 | 146 | #1515 |
| 2010 | 145 | #1536 |
| 2009 | 161 | #1444 |
| 2008 | 148 | #1554 |
| 2007 | 132 | #1672 |
| 2006 | 133 | #1608 |
| 2005 | 130 | #1565 |
| 2004 | 150 | #1387 |
| 2003 | 149 | #1358 |
| 2002 | 124 | #1520 |
| 2001 | 124 | #1506 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Thea a popular girl name?
Thea ranked #353 among girls in 2025 with 867 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #463.
When was the name Thea most popular?
Thea peaked in 2018, when 1,209 American girls received the name (ranked #273 that year). Since 2018 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Thea?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 2,076 newborn American girls was named Thea. It scores 58/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.