Given name & surname
Theresa
“a harvester”
Theresa is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “a harvester.”
Original GreekΘηρεσία
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a harvester.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Theresa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 405,831
- 1,218 boys · 404,613 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 11,991 babies
- 2025
- 136
- #1,559 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −29%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 136 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,559 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 29.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 11,960 in 1961. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 278,873 as a first name in 2020; 135 as a surname in 2000.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Theresa’s family of names
Theresa has an affectionate form in Terri. Theresa shares a linguistic root with Teresa. In German usage, Theresa has a related form in Therese.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Theresa has relatives in 19 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
28 related names in 19 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 26
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Tessapet form
- Teresavariant · German, English
- Tracydiminutive · English
- Tesspet form
- Theresevariant · German
- Terripet form
- Traceydiminutive · English
- Teresitapet form · Spanish, Italian
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Tressavariant
- Theressavariant · English
- Tessydiminutive · English
- Theresiavariant · German
- Tresavariant
- Theravariant
- Teresevariant · German
- Tereshort form
- Maybotnickname
- Therresalikely variant
- Residiminutive · German
- Theresahvariant
- Toireasavariant
- Treszkavariant
- Tressamvariant
- Reslipet form
- Reserlpet form
- Tetepet form
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 32
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΘηρεσίαGreek
- Rezarelated form
- TerezaCzech
- Therezaequivalent
- TeressaFinnish
- Theresequivalent
- Taresaequivalent
- TeresiaLatin
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- TeresinaItalian
- TeressiaFinnish
- Treasacognate
- Tereziyaequivalent
- Têrêsaequivalent
- Teresiahequivalent
- Theréseequivalent
- Tereeseequivalent
- ThérèseFrench
- Kelekaborrowing · Hawaiian
- TerezieCzech
- Zytarelated form
- Zilyarelated form
- Tecarelated form
- TerézHungarian
- TerezijaSlovene
- TeréziaSlovak
- TérèseSwedish
- TeresinhaPortuguese
- TeresianaItalian
- TeresíaIcelandic
- ToiréasaIrish
- ТерезаBulgarian
- Thérésecognate
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Theresa
- Theresa MayPrime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019born 1956
- Theresa RussellAmerican actressborn 1957
- Theresa, Countess of PortugalCountess-Queen of Portugal1080–1130
- Terry FarrellAmerican actress and model (born 1963)
- Theresa Kunegunda SobieskaElectress of Bavaria and of the Electorate of the Palatinate (1676-1730)
- Theresa of Portugal, Queen of LeónQueen of León (1178 – 1250)
- Theresa RandleAmerican actressborn 1964
- Theresa VilliersBritish politician (born 1968)
- Theresa of Portugal, Countess of FlandersCountess of Flanders and Duchess of Burgundy (1157-1218)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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