How Many People Are Named Thelma?
An estimated 33,745 people in the United States have the first name Thelma. It is predominantly female (99.5%). The average bearer is 74 years old, and Thelma peaked in popularity in 1921 with 7,871 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Thelma as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Thelma paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Thelma is overwhelmingly female, 1,142 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 74, Thelma is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1962.
- Thelma has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
33,745
About 1 in 10,157 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
99.5% confidence
Average Age
74
years old
Peak Year
1921
7,871 births
Total Registered
226,571
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Thelma
Thelma is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 226,571 total births registered, 99.5% were female.
Thelma as a male name
Ranked #4,964 in 1969
5 male births in 1969
Peak: 1924 (45 births)
Thelma as a female name
Ranked #4,446 in 2024
32 female births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (7,839 births)
Thelma: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Thelma span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 69,101 babies were registered. Thelma has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Thelma by Decade
How has Thelma tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 76 | 0 | 76 | |
| 1890s | 2,396 | 11 | 2,385 | |
| 1900s | 18,344 | 79 | 18,265 | |
| 1910s | 57,284 | 273 | 57,011 | |
| 1920s | 69,101 | 334 | 68,767 | |
| 1930s | 36,530 | 276 | 36,254 | |
| 1940s | 20,333 | 104 | 20,229 | |
| 1950s | 11,811 | 36 | 11,775 | |
| 1960s | 5,924 | 29 | 5,895 | |
| 1970s | 2,158 | 0 | 2,158 | |
| 1980s | 1,170 | 0 | 1,170 | |
| 1990s | 687 | 0 | 687 | |
| 2000s | 379 | 0 | 379 | |
| 2010s | 239 | 0 | 239 | |
| 2020s | 139 | 0 | 139 | |
Thelma by State
Birth registrations for Thelma span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 3,959 Thelmas were registered per state.
Thelma + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Thelma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Thelma
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
Thelma: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thelma?
We estimate approximately 33,745 people named Thelma are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 10,157 Americans share this first name.
Is Thelma a common name?
Thelma is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 226,571 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Thelma most popular?
Thelma reached peak popularity in 1921, when 7,871 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Thelma is approximately 74 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Thelma a female name?
Thelma is predominantly female. 99.5% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Thelma Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Thelma Smith, Thelma Johnson, Thelma Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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