Baby name

Thelma

Girl

Origin of the name

Thelma became known through Marie Corelli's novel Thelma (1887).

Short-lived name

Thelma peaked in 1921, when 1 baby in 298 was given the name. The decline was steep: births are now 99% below the peak. Its rank in 2025: No. 4660. 31% of all babies named Thelma since 1880 were born in the 1920s.

225,460births since 1880

1920sgeneration

No. 30rank at its peak, in 1921

Where babies named Thelma are born

1921

Year shown on the map

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The darker the blue, the more common Thelma is in the state, compared with its births. White: no births published that year.

Where it is most popular

Compared with the national average, Thelma is most common in West Virginia (2.9 times), Kentucky (2.6) and Arkansas (2.5), taking into account all births in each state since 1910.

Names from the same era

Beatrice · Marjorie · Vivian · Bernice · Lucille · Gladys

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