Thera
Feminine form of Greek "Therapon" meaning "attendant" or "servant".
Name Census estimates that about 417 living Americans carry the first name Thera. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Thera today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thera births was 1982 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thera. 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.
People living today
417
~ 1 in 821,953 Americans
Peak year
1982
31 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,410
Tracked since 1899
Popularity
Thera: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thera from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 183 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thera 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 Thera during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Theras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Thera
The name Thera has its origins in ancient Greece, derived from the Greek word "theros," meaning "summer." It is believed to have been used as a name for girls born during the summer months or as a reference to the Greek island of Thera, now known as Santorini.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thera can be found in Greek mythology. Thera was the name of a nymph who was one of the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. She was also associated with the island of Thera, which was said to have been named after her.
In ancient Greek literature, the name Thera appears in various texts, including the works of Homer and Hesiod. It is also mentioned in historical records from the classical period, suggesting that it was a name used by Greek families during that time.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Thera was Thera of Crete, a Greek priestess who lived in the 6th century BCE. She was renowned for her wisdom and was believed to have been a seer and oracle.
During the Byzantine era, the name Thera remained in use, particularly among Greek Orthodox Christians. One notable figure was Thera of Constantinople, a 9th-century Byzantine abbess and saint who founded the Convent of Christ Philanthropos in Constantinople.
In more recent times, the name Thera has been less common, but there are a few notable individuals who have borne it. Thera Hildebrand (1901-1980) was a German stage and film actress who appeared in numerous productions during the 1920s and 1930s.
Another notable individual was Thera van Oossanen (1923-2004), a Dutch painter and sculptor known for her abstract and surrealist works. She was a prominent figure in the Dutch art scene during the latter half of the 20th century.
Finally, Thera Connick (born 1976) is an American jazz singer and daughter of renowned musician Harry Connick Jr. She has released several albums and has performed alongside her father on numerous occasions.
While the name Thera may not be as widely used today as it was in ancient times, it remains a unique and historically significant name with roots in Greek culture and mythology.
People
Thera + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thera 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
Thera: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thera?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 417 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thera 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 821,953 US residents.
Is Thera a common name?
We classify Thera as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 892 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thera most popular?
The single biggest year for Thera was 1982, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thera is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thera a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thera 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.