Theckla
A feminine name derived from the Greek name Thekla, meaning "glory of God".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Theckla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Theckla today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Theckla births was 1916 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Theckla. 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 Theckla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1920 SSA rank
#5,677
Tracked since 1886
Popularity
Theckla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Theckla from the 1880s through to the 1920s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1890s peak, Theckla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Theckla 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 Theckla 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 Theckla
The name Theckla is a female given name of Greek origin. It is derived from the Greek word "thekolos", which means "one who praises God". The name first appeared in the early Christian era and is believed to have been inspired by the life of Saint Thecla, a first-century follower of Saint Paul and one of the earliest documented Christian martyrs.
The Acts of Paul and Thecla, an apocryphal text dating back to the second century, provides the earliest known reference to the name Thecla. According to the text, Thecla was a young woman from Iconium (modern-day Turkey) who converted to Christianity after hearing the teachings of Saint Paul. She faced persecution for her faith but was miraculously saved from harm on multiple occasions, leading to her veneration as a saint and martyr.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Theckla can be found in the writings of Saint Methodius of Olympus, a Christian bishop and writer who lived in the late third and early fourth centuries. He mentions a virgin martyr named Thecla in his work "The Banquet of the Ten Virgins".
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Theckla or its variants, such as Thekla or Thecla. One of the most famous was Theckla von Gaderitz (c. 1200-1260), a German mystic and nun who experienced visions and wrote religious texts.
Another notable figure was Thecla, a fourth-century virgin martyr from Iconium, who is commemorated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on September 24th. In the ninth century, Thecla, a Byzantine empress and the wife of Emperor Theophilos, played a significant role in promoting the veneration of icons during the Iconoclastic controversy.
In the 16th century, Thecla was the name of a Bohemian princess and abbess, Thecla von Kuttenberg (1516-1580), who was known for her charitable works and piety.
More recently, Thecla Merrill (1857-1944) was an American writer and educator who advocated for women's rights and education.
While the name Theckla has been used throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon, particularly in modern times. However, its rich historical and religious connections have ensured that it continues to hold significance within certain cultural and religious contexts.
People
Theckla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Theckla 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
Theckla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Theckla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Theckla 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 Theckla a common name?
We classify Theckla 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, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Theckla most popular?
The single biggest year for Theckla was 1916, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Theckla 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 Theckla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Theckla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Theckla 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 Theckla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Theckla 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 Theckla 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 Americans are named Theckla?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.