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.
- #1,065 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #353 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,113
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Thea currently ranks #353 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 #353 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.
- #1,065 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #353 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 20,113 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thea ranks #1,065 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #353 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 20,113 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,065 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #353 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,113
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Thea's 20,113 recorded births place it above 98.52% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Thea compares
20,113 Top 7% higher than 93% of 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
Thea's all-time total is 53x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Thea | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,113 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,209 | 21 | 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 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
2010s is the heaviest window (6,408 births, 32% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Thea sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Thea most popular? ▼
Where is Thea most popular? ▼
How long has the name Thea been used? ▼
What names are similar to Thea? ▼
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
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
Compare Thea side by side: Thea vs Theresa Thea vs Thelma Thea vs Therese
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Thea
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Thea: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2018)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 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 August 2026.