Thalma
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Thalma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Thalma today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thalma births was 1911 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thalma. 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 Thalma. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1911
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1914 SSA rank
#4,133
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Thalma: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Thalma 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 Thalma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0 | 11 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Thalma
The given name Thalma has its roots in the ancient Greek language and culture, dating back to the classical period of Greek civilization. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "thallos," which means "a young shoot" or "a green twig." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been associated with concepts of growth, fertility, and new beginnings.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Thalma can be found in the works of the ancient Greek poet Sappho, who lived on the island of Lesbos around 600 BCE. In her lyrical poetry, Sappho mentions a woman named Thalma, although little is known about this individual's life or significance.
In the realm of mythology, there is a character named Thalma mentioned in the Greek epic poem "The Argonautica" by Apollonius Rhodius, written in the 3rd century BCE. Thalma is described as a nymph who was one of the attendants of the goddess Artemis, the patron of hunting and childbirth.
During the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century CE, the name Thalma appears to have been in use among the Greek-speaking population of the Byzantine Empire. One notable figure bearing this name was Thalma of Constantinople, a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 11th century and was known for her philanthropy and patronage of the arts.
In the realm of literature, the name Thalma appears in the works of the French novelist François-René de Chateaubriand, who wrote a historical novel titled "Les Natchez" in 1826. In this work, Thalma is a character depicted as a Native American woman from the Natchez tribe.
Another notable individual with the name Thalma was Thalma de Freitas (1896-1980), a Brazilian writer and journalist who was active in the early 20th century. She was known for her contributions to the modernist literary movement in Brazil and for her advocacy of women's rights and social justice.
While the name Thalma may not be as widely used in modern times, its historical roots and associations with ancient Greek culture, mythology, and literature have contributed to its unique and enduring presence throughout the centuries.
People
Thalma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thalma 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
Thalma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thalma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thalma 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 - US residents.
Is Thalma a common name?
We classify Thalma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thalma most popular?
The single biggest year for Thalma was 1911, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thalma is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Thalma in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thalma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thalma 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 Thalma still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thalma 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 Thalma 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Thalma?
You can see how many people share the name Thalma on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.