Total births
404,613
Girls' name · since 1880
Theresa
404,613 babies named Theresa in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1961. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1492
- among girls today
- 404,613
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Theresa currently ranks #1492 among girls' names in America, with 404,613 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Theresa has been recorded 404,613 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #1492 nationally and more common than 92% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1492 among girls today
- 404,613 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Theresa is currently the #1492 girls' name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 404,613 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #1492
- among girls today
- 404,613
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Theresa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1492
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Theresa was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
11,960 babies were named Theresa in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
How Theresa compares
404,613 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Theresa's all-time total is 1,059x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Theresa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 404,613 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11,960 | 48 | 19,840 |
Theresa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Theresa's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 61% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 39%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 2023, with only 123 births recorded -- set against the 1961 peak of 11,960, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Theresa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1961
Current rank
#1,492
Active since
1880
Theresa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 11,960
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Theresa popularity over time - boys
1,218 total births recorded since 1895 (Theresa as boys' name)
Theresa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Theresa's strongest decade.
97,118 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Theresa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,505
1880s
2,505 births
- 1890s 4,730
1890s
4,730 births
- 1900s 6,396
1900s
6,396 births
- 1910s 18,348
1910s
18,348 births
- 1920s 36,666
1920s
36,666 births
- 1930s 32,785
1930s
32,785 births
- 1940s 35,789
1940s
35,789 births
- 1950s
1950s
89,608 births
- 1960s
1960s
97,118 births
- 1970s
1970s
40,076 births
- 1980s 22,389
1980s
22,389 births
- 1990s 10,591
1990s
10,591 births
- 2000s 4,555
2000s
4,555 births
- 2010s 2,198
2010s
2,198 births
- 2020s 859
2020s
859 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 97,118 births (24% of all-time use).
How Theresa 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 Theresa's total volume
Theresa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Theresa by state
Where Theresa concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 56,572 | 14.0% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 35,263 | 8.7% |
| #3 | California | | 27,946 | 6.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 22,639 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 20,163 | 5.0% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 18,918 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 18,387 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 18,016 | 4.5% |
New York share of Theresa's total US births 14.0%
Even split
56,572 of 404,613 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Theresa appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Theresa? ▼
Theresa has been given to 404,613 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1492 as of the latest data. 11,960 babies were born in 1961, its single highest year.
When was Theresa most popular? ▼
Theresa was most popular in the 1960s decade with 97,118 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Theresa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Theresa are New York (56,572 births), Pennsylvania (35,263 births), California (27,946 births).
How long has the name Theresa been used? ▼
Theresa has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Theresa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Thelma, Therese, Thea, Theodora, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Theresa's data
- Theresa's decade-level peak was the 1960s (97,118 total births); usage has since declined to 859 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Theresas (56,572 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- 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 Theresa
Nearby Names Like Theresa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Theresa
Thelma Girl
#4299 225,460 births
Therese Girl
#2180 35,590 births
Thea Girl
#349 20,113 births
Theodora Girl
#811 12,654 births
Theda Girl
6,556 births
Compare Theresa side by side: Theresa vs Thelma Theresa vs Therese Theresa vs Thea
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Theresa
Navi #1491
1,572 births · Peak 2025
Elinor #1493
21,640 births · Peak 1920
Journei #1490
2,301 births · Peak 2021
Erica #1494
231,613 births · Peak 1986
Liyana #1489
1,681 births · Peak 2025
Marissa #1495
120,842 births · Peak 1994
Harleigh #1488
5,272 births · Peak 2017
Emryn #1496
1,005 births · Peak 2023
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Theresa: #1492 Girls' Name - 404,613 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/theresa. 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 Theresa 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 June 2026.