Thelma
Girl name · #4665 in 2025 · Uniqueness 76/100
Thelma is currently the #4665 girl name in the United States — 29 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #4981, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 62,069 girls born in 2025 was named Thelma.
Babies named Thelma per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Thelma first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1921, when 7,839 girls were named Thelma — good for #30 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. 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.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Thelma against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Thelma in class?
Thelma scores 76 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Thelma will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Thelma is most common
State-level data for Thelma is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Thelma
Statistically, parents drawn to Thelma tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Wilma, Bertha, Elma, Irma, and Rowena.
WilmaBerthaElmaIrmaRowenaVernaEugeniaJuanita
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Thelma | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | #4661 |
| 2024 | 33 | #4294 |
| 2023 | 23 | #5390 |
| 2022 | 26 | #5028 |
| 2021 | 32 | #4326 |
| 2020 | 27 | #4757 |
| 2019 | 22 | #5612 |
| 2018 | 27 | #4889 |
| 2017 | 26 | #5045 |
| 2016 | 32 | #4423 |
| 2015 | 27 | #4981 |
| 2014 | 25 | #5310 |
| 2013 | 19 | #6462 |
| 2012 | 27 | #5114 |
| 2011 | 14 | #8196 |
| 2010 | 20 | #6382 |
| 2009 | 35 | #4269 |
| 2008 | 30 | #4882 |
| 2007 | 28 | #5097 |
| 2006 | 34 | #4265 |
| 2005 | 42 | #3509 |
| 2004 | 31 | #4387 |
| 2003 | 40 | #3532 |
| 2002 | 31 | #4071 |
| 2001 | 58 | #2600 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Thelma a popular girl name?
Thelma ranked #4665 among girls in 2025 with 29 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4981.
When was the name Thelma most popular?
Thelma peaked in 1921, when 7,839 American girls received the name (ranked #30 that year). Since 1921 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Thelma?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 62,069 newborn American girls was named Thelma. It scores 76/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
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.