Thelda
Feminine
Thelda sounds like two familiar names folded into one, the Thel- of Thelma and the -da of Hilda. It is an old American girl's name, two syllables, THEL-duh, and it has stayed rare throughout its history.
How old is the name Thelda?
Thelda first appears in US birth records in 1902 — 123 years ago. The typical Thelda alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 100 people named Thelda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Thelda most popular?
Thelda peaked in 1926, reaching #1414 nationally. See the whole 1926 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Thelda
Our story of Thelda is about sounds that were in the air together. Thelma and Hilda were both familiar American girls' names in the same years, and Thelda sits exactly between them, the Thel- of one and the -da of the other. It could also be Tilda, the old short form of Mathilda, written with the Th- that Thelma had made familiar. Nobody recorded which road was taken, and the name keeps both possibilities in its six letters.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No record explains Thelda. Two roads are possible: the front of Thelma joined to the ending of Hilda, or Tilda, the short form of Mathilda, written with an h. The record does not choose between them.
Pronouncing Thelda
THEL-duh
Two syllables, stress on the first; the th is the th of thin, as in Thelma.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1902
- Most girls named
- 192632 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1414reached in 1926
- Change vs 1952
- +40.0%7 in 1955, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Theldas among us
people named Thelda are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Thelda sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Sounds familiar at once, sitting between Thelma and Hilda.
- Short and phonetic once the th is known.
- People will hear Thelma or Zelda and write that, so it will need spelling out.
- Its sound belongs clearly to the early twentieth century, which some will hear as old-fashioned; others will hear it as a name ready to come back.
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Thelda
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Theldas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Thelda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Thelda in 2025?
- Thelda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Thelda with classmates?
- Thelda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Teresa#908 · Theresa#1548 · Tiffany#878 · Tammy#3645 · Taylor#403 · Tina#2778 · Tracy#2153 · Thelma#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Thelda? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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