Total births
20,113
Girls' name · since 1880
Thea
20,113 babies named Thea in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #349
- among girls today
- 20,113
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Thea currently ranks #349 among girls' names in America, with 20,113 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Thea recorded 20,113 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #349 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #349 among girls today
- 20,113 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Thea is currently the #349 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 20,113 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #349
- among girls today
- 20,113
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Thea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#349
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
32% of everyone ever named Thea was born in this single decade.
2018
Single peak year
1,209 babies were named Thea in 2018 - its busiest year on record.
How Thea compares
20,113 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Thea's all-time total is 53x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Thea | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,113 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,209 | 48 | 19,840 |
Thea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Thea splits its recorded history at 1954: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 1,209 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Thea at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2018
Current rank
#349
Active since
1880
Thea popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 1,209
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Thea popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1924 (Thea as boys' name)
Thea by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Thea's strongest decade.
6,408 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Thea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 86
1880s
86 births
- 1890s 105
1890s
105 births
- 1900s 87
1900s
87 births
- 1910s 157
1910s
157 births
- 1920s 254
1920s
254 births
- 1930s 207
1930s
207 births
- 1940s 431
1940s
431 births
- 1950s 1,027
1950s
1,027 births
- 1960s 1,099
1960s
1,099 births
- 1970s 1,008
1970s
1,008 births
- 1980s 1,022
1980s
1,022 births
- 1990s 952
1990s
952 births
- 2000s 1,362
2000s
1,362 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,408 births
- 2020s
2020s
5,908 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 6,408 births (32% of all-time use).
How Thea 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 Thea's total volume
Thea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Thea by state
Where Thea concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,742 | 8.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,467 | 7.3% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 780 | 3.9% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 760 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 712 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 693 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Minnesota | | 580 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Florida | | 578 | 2.9% |
California share of Thea's total US births 8.7%
Even split
1,742 of 20,113 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Thea appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Thea? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 20,113 babies named Thea. Today it holds rank #349 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2018, with 1,209 births.
When was Thea most popular? ▼
Thea was most popular in the 2010s decade with 6,408 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Thea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Thea are California (1,742 births), New York (1,467 births), Pennsylvania (780 births).
How long has the name Thea been used? ▼
Thea has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Thea? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Theresa, Thelma, Therese, Theodora, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Thea's data
- Thea's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (6,408 total births) through the 2020s (5,908) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Theas (1,742 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 Thea
Nearby Names Like Thea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Thea
Theresa Girl
#1492 404,613 births
Thelma Girl
#4299 225,460 births
Therese Girl
#2180 35,590 births
Theodora Girl
#811 12,654 births
Theda Girl
6,556 births
Compare Thea side by side: Thea vs Theresa Thea vs Thelma Thea vs Therese
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Thea
Annabelle #348
67,543 births · Peak 2014
Esmeralda #350
51,571 births · Peak 1998
Julieta #347
11,689 births · Peak 2025
Lauren #351
475,577 births · Peak 1989
Aisha #346
26,933 births · Peak 1977
Julianna #352
52,285 births · Peak 2006
Heidi #345
149,326 births · Peak 1972
Taylor #353
330,145 births · Peak 1993
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. "Thea: #349 Girls' Name - 20,113 Births, Peak 2018." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/thea. 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 Thea 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.