Themba
A masculine Zulu name meaning "hope" or "faith".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Themba. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Themba today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Themba births was 1996 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Themba. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Themba with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Themba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1996
5 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
1996 SSA rank
#10,393
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Themba: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Themba 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 Themba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Themba
The name Themba originates from the Nguni languages of Southern Africa, including Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, and Swazi. It is believed to have been derived from the word "themba," which means "hope" or "trust" in these languages. The name's roots can be traced back to the Bantu-speaking communities of the region, whose cultural and linguistic traditions have shaped the naming practices of many South African ethnic groups.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Themba can be found in historical records and oral traditions from the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Nguni peoples were engaged in various conflicts, migrations, and cultural exchanges. During this period, the name may have been bestowed upon children as a symbolic representation of the hopes and aspirations of their families or communities.
In the 20th century, the name Themba gained wider recognition and popularity, particularly in South Africa, where it was embraced by individuals from various cultural backgrounds. One of the most notable figures bearing this name was Themba Harry Gwala, a prominent South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Born in 1920, Gwala dedicated his life to the struggle for liberation and spent many years in prison for his political activities.
Another historical figure with the name Themba was Themba Lesizwe Mvusi, a South African playwright, and novelist born in 1930. Mvusi's works, such as the play "Valley Song" and the novel "The Scars of Eric," explored themes of identity, social injustice, and the complexities of life under apartheid. His literary contributions helped shed light on the experiences of black South Africans during a turbulent period in the country's history.
In the realm of sports, Themba Baai, a South African boxer born in 1941, made a significant impact. Baai was a talented heavyweight fighter who held the South African heavyweight title for several years and competed in international competitions, representing his country on the global stage.
Themba Maseko, born in 1950, was a South African public servant and diplomat who served as the Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC) and later as the High Commissioner of South Africa to the United Kingdom. His career spanned various roles in government and international relations, reflecting the name's connotations of hope and trust.
Themba Mnguni, born in 1959, was a South African actor and playwright known for his work in both theater and television. His performances in productions such as "Woza Albert!" and "Asinamali" brought attention to the struggles and resilience of the black community during the apartheid era, cementing his place in South African cultural history.
People
Themba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Themba 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
Themba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Themba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Themba 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Themba a common name?
We classify Themba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Themba most popular?
The single biggest year for Themba was 1996, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Themba is about 29 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 Themba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Themba a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Themba in the SSA data are male. 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 Themba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Themba 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 Themba 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 have the name Themba?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Themba, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.