Given name
Thelma
“one who is ambitious and willful”
Thelma has a literary beginning that is clearer than its proposed Greek derivation.
Original GreekΘέλμα
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “one who is ambitious and willful.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In English usage, Thelma is a feminine form of TELMO.
The story
Marie Corelli used Thelma for the Norwegian heroine of her 1887 novel. The character’s nationality does not make the name traditionally Scandinavian; a connection with Greek thelēma, “wish” or “will,” is only a proposed explanation.
Thelma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 226,602
- 1,142 boys · 225,460 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 7,871 babies
- 2025
- 29
- #4,745 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +7%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 29 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,745 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 6.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 7,839 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 53,801 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Thelma’s family of names
In English usage, Thelma is a feminine form of TELMO. In Icelandic usage, Thelma has a related form in Telma. Thelma has a related form in Telma.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Thelma has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Thelma
- Pat NixonFirst Lady of the United States from 1969 to 19741912–1993
- Thelma RitterAmerican actress and vaudevillian (1902-1969)
- Thelma SchoonmakerAmerican film editorborn 1940
- Thelma ToddAmerican actress (1906-1935)
- Thelma Coyne LongAustralian tennis player (1918–2015)
- Thelma HopkinsBritish athlete (1936–2025)
- Butterfly McQueenAmerican actress (1911-1995)
- Thelma HoustonAmerican singer (born 1946)
- Thelma AldanaGuatemalan judgeborn 1955
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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