Theressa
Feminine · “possibly a harvester”
The doubled s is borrowed from a different family of names. Vanessa, Clarissa, Melissa and Nerissa all carry it because it belongs to their endings; this name never had one. Adding it makes the name look like it belongs with them, which is exactly what respellings of this kind are for.
How old is the name Theressa?
Theressa first appears in US birth records in 1886 — 139 years ago. The typical Theressa alive today was born around 1953, making them about 72 years old. About 1,300 people named Theressa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Theressa most popular?
Theressa peaked in 1899, reaching #983 nationally. See the whole 1899 chart.
Where it comes from
From Therasia to Theressa
The story of Theressa
The other great saint of this name was twenty-four when she died and had spent nine years in a Carmelite convent in Normandy doing nothing anyone would call remarkable. Her sisters asked her to write an account of her childhood; it was circulated after her death, sold in enormous numbers, and set out a way of taking small ordinary actions seriously that she called her little way. She was canonized within thirty years, which is very fast, and in the nineteen-nineties was named a Doctor of the Church — the youngest person ever given the title, and one of only four women. It is a strange promotion for someone whose entire argument was that greatness was not the point.
Meaningscholars disagree
possibly a harvester, or a woman from an Aegean island
Neither of the two standing proposals can be established, and the earliest bearer's own name settles nothing. The doubled consonant changes nothing about any of this.
How the name formed
- Therasia
- Theresa
- Theressa
Related forms: Thérèse · Teresa · Therese · Teresa
Pronouncing Theressa
tuh-RESS-uh
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. The doubled s shortens the middle vowel slightly, which is the one small thing it genuinely does.
Nicknames for Theressa
Moderate
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
- 1886
- Most girls named
- 195546 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #983reached in 1899
- Change vs 2004
- +16.7%7 in 2008, from 6
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.
Theressa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Thérèse in French — same name
- Teresa in Spanish — same name
- Therese in German — same name
- Teresa in Italian — same name
Theressas among us
people named Theressa 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
Theressa 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
- The name underneath is ancient and recognized everywhere.
- The short forms are excellent and none depends on this spelling.
- The doubling puts it visually alongside a well-liked family of names.
- Theresa and Teresa are both standard and this spelling gets corrected constantly.
- The meaning has never been settled and cannot be presented as if it had.
- The generation that used it in America is now elderly.
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What they receive
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Theressa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Theressas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Theressa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Theressa in 2025?
- Theressa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Theressa with classmates?
- Theressa 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 Theressa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Theressa and another name?
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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