Thelma
Meaning
coined by novelist Marie Corelli, traditionally linked to 'thelema,' will or wish
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Thelma peaked in the 1900s and the 1920s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
3,966 people · the #3,214 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 50,000 · median age 53
Among people named Thelma living in Brazil at the 2022 census, roughly as many were born in the 1960s as in the 1970s, more than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Thelma
People given the name Thelma in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 1969. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Thelma deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Thelma truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Thelma fits with your family’s names and surname.
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