Girls' name · since 1915
Telma
Telma has 276 recorded births since 1915 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1976 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #16,648 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,025 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 276
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
Yes -- Telma is the #12025 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 276 recorded since 1915.
Telma has 276 recorded births among girls since 1915, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12025 as of the latest data, more common than 30% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.
- #16,648 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #12,025 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 276 born since 1915
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Telma ranks #16,648 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,025 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 276 born since 1915, peaking in the 1970s.
- #16,648 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,025 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 276
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
Telma's 276 recorded births place it above 76.98% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How Telma compares
276 43rd percentile among 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Telma's all-time total is 27% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Telma | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 276 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 13 | 21 | 19,840 |
Telma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Telma splits its recorded history at 1980: 51% of all births land in the more recent half, 49% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1915 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1976 peak of 13 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Telma popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (1976)
- 13
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Telma by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (70 births, 25% of the file).
1970s was Telma's strongest decade.
70 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Telma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1950s 8
1950s
8 births
- 1960s
1960s
47 births
- 1970s
1970s
70 births
- 1980s
1980s
64 births
- 1990s
1990s
40 births
- 2000s 16
2000s
16 births
- 2010s 8
2010s
8 births
- 2020s 13
2020s
13 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 70 births (25% of all-time use).
Telma by state
Where Telma concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6 | 2.2% |
6 of 276 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Telma? ▼
Where does Telma sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Telma most popular? ▼
Where is Telma most popular? ▼
How long has the name Telma been used? ▼
What names are similar to Telma? ▼
What to do with Telma's data
- Telma's decade-level peak was the 1970s (70 total births); usage has since declined to 13 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Telmas (6 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Telma
Nearby Names Like Telma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Telma
Compare Telma side by side: Telma vs Telisha Telma vs Telisa Telma vs Telia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Telma
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Telma: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1976)
Similar record span (~110 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1915–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Telma draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.