Total births
416,044
Girls' name · since 1880
Teresa
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 416,044 babies named Teresa, peaking in 1961. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #860
- among girls today
- 416,044
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
416,044 babies have been named Teresa since 1880, making it today's #860 girls' name.
Teresa has 416,044 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #860 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #860 among girls today
- 416,044 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Teresa is currently the #860 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 416,044 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #860
- among girls today
- 416,044
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Teresa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#860
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Teresa was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
18,909 babies were named Teresa in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
How Teresa compares
416,044 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 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
Teresa's all-time total is 1,089x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Teresa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 416,044 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 18,909 | 48 | 19,840 |
Teresa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Teresa's full recorded timeline at 1953, 85% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 15% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 46 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1961 peak of 18,909 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Teresa at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1961
Current rank
#860
Active since
1880
Teresa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 18,909
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Teresa popularity over time - boys
1,165 total births recorded since 1917 (Teresa as boys' name)
Teresa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Teresa's strongest decade.
151,793 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Teresa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 769
1880s
769 births
- 1890s 1,587
1890s
1,587 births
- 1900s 1,889
1900s
1,889 births
- 1910s 5,194
1910s
5,194 births
- 1920s 9,227
1920s
9,227 births
- 1930s 7,648
1930s
7,648 births
- 1940s 19,329
1940s
19,329 births
- 1950s
1950s
114,283 births
- 1960s
1960s
151,793 births
- 1970s 56,037
1970s
56,037 births
- 1980s 23,411
1980s
23,411 births
- 1990s 11,952
1990s
11,952 births
- 2000s 6,755
2000s
6,755 births
- 2010s 4,215
2010s
4,215 births
- 2020s 1,955
2020s
1,955 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 151,793 births (36% of all-time use).
How Teresa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Teresa's total volume
Teresa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Teresa by state
Where Teresa concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 41,356 | 9.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 29,668 | 7.1% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 22,618 | 5.4% |
| #4 | New York | | 22,338 | 5.4% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 18,775 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 16,575 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 15,626 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 14,840 | 3.6% |
California share of Teresa's total US births 9.9%
Even split
41,356 of 416,044 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Teresa appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Teresa? ▼
416,044 babies have been named Teresa since 1880. It currently ranks #860 among girls. The peak year was 1961 with 18,909 births.
When was Teresa most popular? ▼
Teresa was most popular in the 1960s decade with 151,793 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Teresa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Teresa are California (41,356 births), Texas (29,668 births), Ohio (22,618 births).
How long has the name Teresa been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Teresa since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Teresa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Terri, Terry, Teri, Terrie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Teresa's data
- Teresa's decade-level peak was the 1960s (151,793 total births); usage has since declined to 1,955 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Teresas (41,356 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Teresa
Nearby Names Like Teresa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Teresa
Terri Girl
#5039 146,113 births
Terry Girl
#9578 96,955 births
Teri Girl
#10364 43,957 births
Terrie Girl
19,729 births
Terra Girl
#2516 15,429 births
Compare Teresa side by side: Teresa vs Terri Teresa vs Terry Teresa vs Teri
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Teresa
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Teresa: #860 Girls' Name - 416,044 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/teresa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Teresa 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 June 2026.