How Many People Are Named Theresa?
An estimated 241,068 people in the United States have the first name Theresa. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #214 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 60 years old, and Theresa peaked in popularity in 1961 with 11,990 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Theresa 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 Theresa paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Theresa is overwhelmingly female, 1,218 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Theresa has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
241,068
About 1 in 1,422 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
60
years old
Peak Year
1961
11,990 births
Total Registered
405,689
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Theresa
Theresa is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 405,689 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Theresa as a male name
Ranked #9,500 in 1991
5 male births in 1991
Peak: 1963 (41 births)
Theresa as a female name
Ranked #1,499 in 2024
145 female births in 2024
Peak: 1961 (11,959 births)
Theresa: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Theresa span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 97,409 babies were registered. Theresa has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Theresa by Decade
How has Theresa 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 | 2,505 | 0 | 2,505 | |
| 1890s | 4,735 | 5 | 4,730 | |
| 1900s | 6,406 | 10 | 6,396 | |
| 1910s | 18,375 | 27 | 18,348 | |
| 1920s | 36,796 | 129 | 36,667 | |
| 1930s | 32,945 | 160 | 32,785 | |
| 1940s | 35,895 | 105 | 35,790 | |
| 1950s | 89,786 | 181 | 89,605 | |
| 1960s | 97,409 | 294 | 97,115 | |
| 1970s | 40,252 | 174 | 40,078 | |
| 1980s | 22,508 | 118 | 22,390 | |
| 1990s | 10,606 | 15 | 10,591 | |
| 2000s | 4,554 | 0 | 4,554 | |
| 2010s | 2,196 | 0 | 2,196 | |
| 2020s | 721 | 0 | 721 | |
Theresa by State
Birth registrations for Theresa span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, California. The lowest are in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho. On average, about 7,620 Theresas were registered per state.
Theresa + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Theresa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Theresa
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
Theresa: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Theresa?
We estimate approximately 241,068 people named Theresa 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 1,422 Americans share this first name.
Is Theresa a common name?
Theresa is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 405,689 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Theresa most popular?
Theresa reached peak popularity in 1961, when 11,990 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Theresa is approximately 60 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Theresa a female name?
Theresa is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Theresa Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Theresa Smith, Theresa Johnson, Theresa 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.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me