Total births
35,590
Girls' name · since 1880
Therese
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 35,590 babies named Therese, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2180
- among girls today
- 35,590
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
35,590 babies have been named Therese since 1880, making it today's #2180 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Therese has been recorded 35,590 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #2180 nationally and more common than 88% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. 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.
- #2180 among girls today
- 35,590 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 88% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Therese is currently the #2180 girls' name in America, more common than 88% of girls - 35,590 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2180
- among girls today
- 35,590
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Therese vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2180
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 88% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Therese was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
1,211 babies were named Therese in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Therese compares
35,590 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Therese's all-time total is 93x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Therese | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 35,590 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,211 | 48 | 19,840 |
Therese's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Therese's full recorded timeline at 1953, 60% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 40% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1959 peak of 1,211 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Therese at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1959
Current rank
#2,180
Active since
1880
Therese popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 1,211
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Therese popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1931 (Therese as boys' name)
Therese by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Therese's strongest decade.
9,333 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Therese births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 102
1880s
102 births
- 1890s 204
1890s
204 births
- 1900s 282
1900s
282 births
- 1910s 899
1910s
899 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,501 births
- 1930s 3,227
1930s
3,227 births
- 1940s 3,165
1940s
3,165 births
- 1950s
1950s
9,333 births
- 1960s
1960s
7,584 births
- 1970s 1,943
1970s
1,943 births
- 1980s 1,431
1980s
1,431 births
- 1990s 1,053
1990s
1,053 births
- 2000s 846
2000s
846 births
- 2010s 608
2010s
608 births
- 2020s 412
2020s
412 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 9,333 births (26% of all-time use).
How Therese 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 Therese's total volume
Therese vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Therese by state
Where Therese concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 4,223 | 11.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 3,566 | 10.0% |
| #3 | California | | 2,591 | 7.3% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 2,421 | 6.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,154 | 6.1% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 1,995 | 5.6% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,986 | 5.6% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 1,589 | 4.5% |
Illinois share of Therese's total US births 11.9%
Even split
4,223 of 35,590 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Therese appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Therese? ▼
35,590 babies have been named Therese since 1880. It currently ranks #2180 among girls. The peak year was 1959 with 1,211 births.
When was Therese most popular? ▼
Therese was most popular in the 1950s decade with 9,333 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Therese most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Therese are Illinois (4,223 births), New York (3,566 births), California (2,591 births).
How long has the name Therese been used? ▼
Therese has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Therese? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Theresa, Thelma, Thea, Theodora, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Therese's data
- Therese's decade-level peak was the 1950s (9,333 total births); usage has since declined to 412 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Thereses (4,223 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois 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 Therese
Nearby Names Like Therese
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Therese
Theresa Girl
#1492 404,613 births
Thelma Girl
#4299 225,460 births
Thea Girl
#349 20,113 births
Theodora Girl
#811 12,654 births
Theda Girl
6,556 births
Compare Therese side by side: Therese vs Theresa Therese vs Thelma Therese vs Thea
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Therese
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. "Therese: #2180 Girls' Name - 35,590 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/therese. 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 Therese 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.