Total births
40
Girls' name · since 1918
Thema
Thema has 40 recorded births since 1918 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1978 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 40
- total births
- 1918–1990
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 75%
- born in that decade
Thema sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 40 recorded since 1918.
Thema has 40 recorded births among girls since 1918, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 1990.
- 40 total births
- 1918–1990 years on record
- 1970s peak decade
- 75% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
40 girls have been named Thema since 1918, peaking in the 1970s, last recorded in 1990.
- 40
- total births
- 1918–1990
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 75%
- born in that decade
1970s
Peak decade
75% of everyone ever named Thema was born in this single decade.
1978
Single peak year
9 babies were named Thema in 1978 - its busiest year on record.
Thema's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Thema splits its recorded history at 1978: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1918 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1978 peak of 9 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Thema at a glance
Last recorded 1990Peak year
1978
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1918
Thema popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–1990
- Peak year (1978)
- 9
- Annual births at peak, across 73 years of records
Thema by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Thema's strongest decade.
30 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 75% of all-time use.
Thema births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1970s
1970s
30 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 30 births (75% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Thema? ▼
Thema has been given to 40 babies in the U.S. since 1918, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1990. 9 babies were born in 1978, its single highest year.
When was Thema most popular? ▼
Thema was most popular in the 1970s decade with 30 total births. The single peak year was 1978.
How long has the name Thema been used? ▼
Records for Thema go back to 1918, giving 73 years of history through 1990.
What names are similar to Thema? ▼
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.
What to do with Thema's data
- Thema's decade-level peak was the 1970s (30 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1990s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- 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 Thema
Nearby Names Like Thema
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Thema
Theresa Girl
#1492 404,613 births
Thelma Girl
#4299 225,460 births
Therese Girl
#2180 35,590 births
Thea Girl
#349 20,113 births
Theodora Girl
#811 12,654 births
Compare Thema side by side: Thema vs Theresa Thema vs Thelma Thema vs Therese
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1918–1990 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Thema: Baby Name Since 1918 - 40 Births, Peak 1978." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/thema. 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 Thema 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 July 2026.