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.

#37,702 of 72,339
all-time among girls
40
born since 1918
1970s
peak 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.

  • #37,702 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • 40 born since 1918
  • 1970s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thema ranks #37,702 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 40 born since 1918, peaking in the 1970s.

#37,702 of 72,339
all-time among girls
40
born since 1918
1970s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Thema's 40 recorded births place it above 47.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

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 popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–1990

Last recorded 1990
Peak year (1978)
9
Annual births at peak, across 73 years of records
45678910 191819761977197819791990 5

Thema by decade

1970s is the heaviest window (30 births, 75% of the file).

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

births

What this shows Peak: 1970s at 30 births (75% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

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 archive ordinal is #37,702 of 72,339 among girls' names (total births, highest first). Its last appearance in the data was 1990. 9 babies were born in 1978, its single highest year.
Where does Thema sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thema ranks #37,702 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
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.

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
#1548 404,613 births
Thelma Girl
#4665 225,460 births
Therese Girl
#2300 35,590 births
Thea Girl
#353 20,113 births
Theodora Girl
#725 12,654 births

Compare Thema side by side: Thema vs Theresa Thema vs Thelma Thema vs Therese

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Manervia
40 births · Peak 1920
Marilda
40 births · Peak 1920
Tollie
40 births · Peak 1917
Idah
40 births · Peak 1916
Burley
40 births · Peak 1925
Alfaretta
40 births · Peak 1905
Impi
40 births · Peak 1917
Burlie
40 births · Peak 1918

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Thema: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1918–1990 (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 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 August 2026.