Girls' name · since 1880
Thelma
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 225,460 babies named Thelma, peaking in 1921. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #178 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,665 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 225,460
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
225,460 babies have been named Thelma since 1880, making it today's #4665 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Thelma recorded 225,460 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #4665 nationally today, ahead of 73% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #178 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,665 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 225,460 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thelma ranks #178 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,665 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 225,460 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #178 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,665 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 225,460
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Thelma's 225,460 recorded births place it above 99.75% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Thelma compares
225,460 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Thelma's all-time total is 600x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Thelma | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 225,460 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,839 | 21 | 19,840 |
Thelma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Thelma splits its recorded history at 1954: 7% of all births land in the more recent half, 93% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 7,839 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Thelma popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 7,839
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Thelma popularity over time - boys
1,142 total births recorded since 1896 (Thelma as boys' name)
Thelma by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (68,767 births, 31% of the file).
1920s was Thelma's strongest decade.
68,767 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Thelma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 76
1880s
76 births
- 1890s 2,385
1890s
2,385 births
- 1900s 18,265
1900s
18,265 births
- 1910s
1910s
57,011 births
- 1920s
1920s
68,767 births
- 1930s
1930s
36,254 births
- 1940s 20,229
1940s
20,229 births
- 1950s 11,776
1950s
11,776 births
- 1960s 5,894
1960s
5,894 births
- 1970s 2,158
1970s
2,158 births
- 1980s 1,170
1980s
1,170 births
- 1990s 687
1990s
687 births
- 2000s 379
2000s
379 births
- 2010s 239
2010s
239 births
- 2020s 170
2020s
170 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 68,767 births (31% of all-time use).
How Thelma 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 Thelma's total volume
Thelma by state
Where Thelma concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 13,530 | 6.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 12,891 | 5.7% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 10,118 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 9,885 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 9,391 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 9,271 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 9,090 | 4.0% |
| #8 | New York | | 8,936 | 4.0% |
13,530 of 225,460 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Thelma appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Thelma? ▼
Where does Thelma sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Thelma most popular? ▼
Where is Thelma most popular? ▼
How long has the name Thelma been used? ▼
What names are similar to Thelma? ▼
What to do with Thelma's data
- Thelma's decade-level peak was the 1920s (68,767 total births); usage has since declined to 170 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Thelmas (13,530 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Thelma
Nearby Names Like Thelma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Thelma
Compare Thelma side by side: Thelma vs Theresa Thelma vs Therese Thelma vs Thea
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Thelma
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Thelma: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
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 Thelma 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.