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.
- #91 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,548 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 404,613
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Theresa currently ranks #1548 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 #1548 nationally and more common than 91% 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.
- #91 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,548 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 404,613 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Theresa ranks #91 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,548 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 404,613 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #91 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,548 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 404,613
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Theresa's 404,613 recorded births place it above 99.87% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Theresa compares
404,613 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Theresa's all-time total is 1,076x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Theresa | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 404,613 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11,960 | 21 | 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 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
1960s is the heaviest window (97,118 births, 24% of the file).
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 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% |
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
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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
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
Compare Theresa side by side: Theresa vs Thelma Theresa vs Therese Theresa vs Thea
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Theresa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Theresa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1961)
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 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 August 2026.