Girl · English literary coinage
Thelma
Say it: THEL-muh
Meaning
Popularized by Marie Corelli's novel Thelma (1887); its origin is uncertain.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Common in Britain and America in the early 20th century after Corelli's novel.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1900s
In the United States
- 226,457 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1908, about 1 in 132 girls
- 27 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Well-known works of literature
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.