Recorded 1880–2021 Girls' name Peak 1919 6,556 births

Theda — girls' name

6,556 babies named Theda in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1919. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s191890s421900s1001910s15831920s19811930s9361940s7271950s5991960s3141970s1351980s361990s392000s62010s292020s10
1920s
Peak decade

30% of everyone ever named Theda was born in this single decade.

1919
Single peak year

356 babies were named Theda in 1919 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Theda

The Social Security Administration has registered 6,556 babies named Theda between 1880 and 2021, spanning 142 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Theda currently falls outside the top 1,000 girls' names for 2021. The name reached its historical peak in 1919, when 356 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Theda performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 1,981 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Theda shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 473 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. In total, SSA state-level files list Theda in 36 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Theda in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 6,556 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Theda at a glance

Last recorded 2021

Total births

6,556

Since 1880

142 years of records

Peak year

1919

356 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 2021

Active since

1880

Recorded for 142 years

Last year on file: 2021

Theda popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2021–1880

Last recorded 2021
Peak year (1919)
356
Annual births at peak — across 142 years of records
-1000100200300400 202119841969195519411927191318991880 5

Theda by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
1,981 births that decade — 30% of Theda's all-time total
1880s191890s421900s1001910s15831920s19811930s9361940s7271950s5991960s3141970s1351980s361990s392000s62010s292020s10

Theda by state

Where Theda concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Theda
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
473 7.2%
#2 Pennsylvania
450 6.9%
#3 Oklahoma
310 4.7%
#4 Ohio
280 4.3%
#5 New York
219 3.3%
#6 Kentucky
168 2.6%
#7 Arkansas
165 2.5%
#8 Michigan
145 2.2%
Texas share of Theda's total US births 7.2%
Even split

473 of 6,556 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.

Theda appears in 36 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Theda?
6,556 babies have been named Theda since 1880. It was last recorded in 2021. The peak year was 1919 with 356 births.
When was Theda most popular?
Theda was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,981 total births. The single peak year was 1919.
Where is Theda most popular?
The top states for the name Theda are Texas (473 births), Pennsylvania (450 births), Oklahoma (310 births).
How long has the name Theda been used?
Theda has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 142 years of data through 2021.
What names are similar to Theda?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Theresa, Thelma, Therese, Thea, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Theda

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2021 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.