Talesa
A Samoan feminine name meaning "one who holds authority or is elevated".
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Talesa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Talesa today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Talesa births was 1991 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Talesa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Talesa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
1991
8 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1995 SSA rank
#15,505
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Talesa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Talesa from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 25 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Talesa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Talesa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Talesa
The name Talesa finds its origins in the ancient Greek language, with roots tracing back to the classical period between the 8th century BC and the 6th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "thalassa," which translates to "sea" or "ocean." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with coastal regions or maritime cultures in ancient Greece.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Talesa can be found in the works of the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who lived from circa 525 BC to 456 BC. In his play "The Persians," a character named Talesa is mentioned, though little is known about the significance of this character or the reasoning behind the name choice.
During the Byzantine Empire, which spanned from the 4th century AD to the 15th century AD, the name Talesa gained some popularity among Greek-speaking populations. Records from this period indicate that several notable individuals bore the name, including Talesa of Thessaloniki, a scholar and philosopher who lived in the 9th century AD and made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics.
In the realm of literature, the name Talesa appears in the epic poem "The Iliad" by Homer, which is believed to have been composed around the 8th century BC. While the name is mentioned briefly, its inclusion in such a seminal work of ancient Greek literature speaks to its longstanding presence in the cultural lexicon.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Talesa. One prominent example is Talesa of Corinth, a renowned sculptor who lived in the 5th century BC and was renowned for her intricate marble sculptures depicting mythological scenes. Another is Talesa of Crete, a poet and philosopher from the 3rd century BC who is credited with introducing Stoic philosophy to the island of Crete.
In the realm of religion, the name Talesa appears in various texts and records from the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Saint Talesa of Antioch, a 4th-century martyr and saint, is venerated in the Orthodox Church for her unwavering faith and willingness to sacrifice her life for her beliefs.
While the name Talesa has its roots in ancient Greek culture, it has also been adopted and adapted by other cultures throughout history, further enriching its legacy and significance.
People
Talesa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Talesa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Talesa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Talesa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Talesa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Talesa a common name?
We classify Talesa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 37 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Talesa most popular?
The single biggest year for Talesa was 1991, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Talesa is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Talesa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Talesa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.