Tecla
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "tile maker" or "potter".
Name Census estimates that about 23 living Americans carry the first name Tecla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tecla today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tecla births was 1916 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tecla. 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
- • The typical person named Tecla is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Teclas were born before 1963.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tecla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
23
~ 1 in 14,902,363 Americans
Peak year
1916
11 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1970 SSA rank
#9,211
Tracked since 1907
Census
Tecla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 263 people with the first name Tecla, which placed it at #32,158 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#32,158
National first-name rank
People counted
263
263 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
56.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tecla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tecla is White at 56.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.2%) and Black (12.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tecla described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tecla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.7% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino23.2% · 61
- Black or African American12.9% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 11
- Two or more races3.0% · 8
Popularity
Tecla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tecla from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 48 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tecla 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 Tecla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Teclas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tecla
The name Tecla has its origins in the Greek language and culture, and it can be traced back to the early Christian era. The name is derived from the Greek word "tektōn," which means "builder" or "craftsman." It is believed that the name was initially given to women who were skilled in various crafts or professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tecla can be found in the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla, a text dating back to the 2nd century AD. In this text, Thecla (Tecla) is portrayed as a young woman who converted to Christianity and became a follower of Saint Paul. She is celebrated as one of the earliest female Christian martyrs and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
During the Middle Ages, the name Tecla gained popularity in various parts of Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. In Italy, it was sometimes spelled as "Tecla" or "Thecla," while in Spain, it was more commonly written as "Tecla."
One notable historical figure who bore the name Tecla was Tecla Bavestrelli (1190-1263), an Italian nun and mystic who founded the Order of Vallumbrosan Benedictines. She is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church and is known for her spiritual writings and her devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Another famous Tecla was Tecla Arañgo (1590-1638), a Spanish nun and mystic who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. She is known for her spiritual visions and her devotion to the Holy Eucharist.
In the 17th century, Tecla Velasco (1620-1683) was a Spanish painter and nun who is renowned for her religious artwork, particularly her depictions of the Virgin Mary and saints.
Moving to the 19th century, Tecla Badarzewska (1834-1861) was a Polish composer and pianist who is best known for her piano piece "The Maiden's Prayer" (also known as "La Prière d'une Vierge").
Finally, in the 20th century, Tecla Insunza (1910-1990) was a Chilean educator and social activist who dedicated her life to promoting education and improving the lives of marginalized communities in Chile.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Tecla throughout history, showcasing the rich cultural and historical significance of this name across different regions and time periods.
People
Tecla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tecla 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
Tecla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tecla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 23 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tecla 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 14,902,363 US residents.
Is Tecla a common name?
We classify Tecla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 42.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tecla most popular?
The single biggest year for Tecla was 1916, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tecla is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tecla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 263 people with the name Tecla, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,158 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tecla in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tecla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tecla appears almost entirely female. Of the 262 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tecla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tecla is White at 56.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.2%) and Black (12.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tecla most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tecla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.7% (149 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tecla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tecla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tecla 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.
Is Tecla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tecla in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tecla can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Tecla?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Tecla at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.