Thelma

Thelma is a girl's name of English origin meaning “will, volition.” In 2024 it was given to 32 girls in the United States.

Thelma at a glance

Gender
Girl name
Origin
English & American
Meaning
“will, volition”

About the name Thelma

Thelma belongs to the English & American tradition. Its meaning — “will, volition” — is the sense carried by its English roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page.

In the United States, Thelma first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #25 in 1910, and in 2024 32 babies received the name — 225,429 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Thelma in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#25 in 1910
Peak year
1921
Babies named Thelma in 2024
32
Total since 1880
225,429

Thelma in England & Wales records

First recorded (since 1996)
1998
Best rank
#2320 in 2006
Babies named Thelma in 2025
10
Total since 1996
117

Similar names

More names from the English & American shelf:

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Thelma mean?

Thelma means “will, volition” in its English roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Thelma a boy or girl name?

Thelma is a girl name. In 2024, 32 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Thelma?

Thelma comes from the English & American tradition.

How popular is the name Thelma?

Thelma first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #25 in 1910, and 32 babies were given the name in 2024.

Share this name

Put the Thelma name card on your own site or blog — free, with the code below. It keeps a small credit link back to this page.

<iframe src="https://namepetal.com/embed/thelma/" width="100%" height="330" style="border:0;max-width:460px" loading="lazy" title="Thelma name card — NamePetal"></iframe>

Card by NamePetal.

Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. England & Wales figures are from the Office for National Statistics. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.